


The Life of a Sponsor

by cheshire6845



Series: Victors and Heroes - A Hunger Games Universe [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Dubious Consent, F/F, F/M, Hunger Games Tributes, Hunger Games Victors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:08:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28965864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshire6845/pseuds/cheshire6845
Summary: Regina Mills is one of the most powerful people in Panem. She's been groomed in money, power, and politics since she was born. She is a sought after Sponsor during any Hunger Games. She currently has Emma Swan, Victor of the 66th Hunger Games, under contract as her companion, but is there more to their relationship than just a contract? Can there be love and trust in a world that holds nothing sacred?This is a sequel to my first story in this series, The Life of a Victor.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Series: Victors and Heroes - A Hunger Games Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656052
Comments: 129
Kudos: 147





	1. People are Never Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> So this took me a bit longer than I expected. I still haven't read the HG prequel book so my canon reflects the original trilogy as much as I could stay with it. The rating for this will likely go up later. It is heavily implied that Regina has other relations in this story (with pretty much everyone) but they aren't shown. This story has a lot of flashback storytelling to show Regina's past; the past is always italicized. And the flashback scenes aren't necessarily in order but there will always be some sort of indicator usually which Games it is. This wasn't intentional on my part, just how the story unfolded. Anyway, so that's enough from me, I hope you enjoy it.

_The 56th Annual Hunger Games_

_“And the male tribute for District 10 is Daniel Colter.”_

_There was a buzzing in her ears that blotted out everything else the announcer was saying. She could only see Daniel, **her** Daniel, slowly making his way up to the stage. Her chest hurt and dark spots were swirling in her vision; she needed to breathe. She sucked in a breath and she heard her father calling her name; it sounded like he was at the end of a long tunnel even as she turned and saw him kneeling beside her. _

_“Regina?” His hand was on her back. “It will be okay.”_

_She loved her father, but even at her young age, she knew he was a fool. She cringed at her own assessment. Fool was too harsh a word for her father; he was sweet and kind, naïve perhaps. No, not perhaps, he was definitely naïve if he thought it was simple happenstance that Daniel had been reaped. Regina gripped his arm and allowed him to help her to her feet._

_“Where’s Mother?”_

_“Regina,” he said softly, urgently, “you don’t need to see her right now.”_

_She looked into his dark sorrowful eyes. Not naïve, after all. Just weak. Cowardly. “Where. Is she?”_

_He stepped back, out of his daughter’s way, head bowed. “In the study.”_

_Her first step was unsteady, but as Regina traversed the short distance to her mother’s study, she pulled herself together. Stiffened her spine, pulled back her shoulders, and lifted her chin. Despite her best efforts, the training her mother insisted on was ingrained in her. Present a determined front no matter how battered your insides were. She brushed away the dampness on her cheeks and flattened her expression before walking into her mother’s study unannounced._

_“You did this.”_

_The viewscreen her mother had been watching still had the logo for the 56 th Annual Hunger Games spinning slowly as the programming switched between districts. To her questionable credit, Cora didn’t bother with denial. She simply folded her glasses and laid them down on her desk. “Of course, I did.” She leaned back in her chair. “That stable boy was beneath you.”_

_Regina felt her control slip. “His name is Daniel, and he was kind to me.”_

_Cora scoffed, “You’re infatuated with him, and all he’s interested in is what’s between your legs.”_

_“Mother!”_

_She gestured dismissively at her daughter. “You’re just going to have to trust me that I know what’s best for you.”_

_“No, you don’t, Mother.” Tears of anger were starting to escape. “It’s **my** life!” _

_“No, it isn’t.” Her tone was derisive, almost laughing. “You may be fifteen and presenting to society very soon, once these games are over as a matter of fact, but you are still a child. And I will continue to make decisions for you until you prove yourself capable, which so far you have proven yourself wholly lacking.”_

_Regina’s head was spinning. What did she mean?_

_“Did you really think I didn’t know why you were suddenly so interested in learning about our assets in District 10?” Cora stood up, circling out from behind her desk. “But I thought, all right, fine, let’s give her a chance. Maybe she’ll show some interest in the family business, finally.” She scoffed and shook her head. “Imagine my disappointment in you, Regina, when the only thing you showed interest in was that boy.”_

_She felt like she couldn’t breathe. This was all her fault. She quickly wiped away an escaped tear. “Why did you let me continue to go out there?”_

_“I thought you might learn something.” Cora leaned back against the desk. “Disappointment or betrayal when he turned out to have more than your innocent, naïve desires. Or maybe, you’d finally start to learn how to deceive, but you couldn’t even do that right. Even your father picked up on the fact that you were interested in someone.”_

_“He did?” Regina felt herself sinking slowly onto the couch. She didn’t want to stay in her mother’s presence, but she was incapable of leaving._

_“Despite my best efforts to help you, every emotion you have can be read in your eyes and be heard in that little tremble in your voice,” Cora said. “There’s not a single thought that goes through your mind that I can’t see.”_

_An ember somewhere deep inside fought to ignite and Regina raised her eyes. “So, tell me, Mother, what am I thinking now?”_

_Cora’s answering smile was cruel. Her long bony fingers wrapped around her daughter’s jaw. “Oh, my dear, sweet girl, you think you’ll save him.” She tightened her grip. “I invite you to try.”_

“An emerald for your thoughts.”

Regina blinked, side-eyed the dragon seated beside her. “They’re hardly worth that much.”

“And yet you seemed lost in them,” Mallory said, rolling a gold coin over her knuckles and back.

Regina watched the coin as it traversed the older woman’s nimble fingers. “Did you know about Daniel before the Reaping?”

The coin faltered and Mal caught it between her thumb and forefinger. She couldn’t recall the last time Regina had voluntarily mentioned his name. Looking out over her lawn where Lily and a handful of others were playing a game of volleyball, she let her attention once again rest on the blonde Savior that had become fast friends with her daughter. A reluctant victor that had also managed to snag the attention of Regina Mills as well.

Emma Swan, Victor of the 66th Games, had been dragged into their lives by the brunette sitting beside Mal. The brunette that Mal considered to be like a daughter to her. Mal had never liked Cora Mills, but business dealings had required them to be civil to each other. Once, when Mal had been visiting the Mills mansion for such business, she’d been asked to wait while Cora gathered together the papers Mal had requested.

_Mallory drummed her fingers against the gold inlaid table as she waited on Cora. She’d been surprised the woman hadn’t been prepared for her arrival. Cora was usually fastidiously organized. Mal sincerely hoped this wasn’t some sort of idiotic attempt at a power play. She strolled further down the front hall, pretending to appreciate the artwork adorning the halls. She stopped at a mirror that took up half the wall and needlessly checked her appearance. Then she cocked her head to the side as a muffled sniff caught her attention. It could have been anything she supposed, but she listened and drifted closer to the front study._

_It wasn’t well known, but Mal’s hearing had been damaged during her games. An experimental procedure after the games had repaired the loss and even made it better. Being able to overhear conversations from other rooms had come in handy during her business dealings. This time, a second sniffle led her into the side room and brought her to stand in front of an overly large wardrobe. As soon as she stepped close to it, the sniffling stopped, but Mal opened the cabinet to find only a rack of heavy coats. Glancing down, she spotted a pair of perfectly shiny black shoes sticking out. Gently, she pushed aside the coats and found a pair of watery, brown eyes staring up at her._

_A familiar pang of loss pulled at Mal’s heart as she crouched down over her knees to be more level with the child. “Hello, Little One.”_

_The little girl who couldn’t have been more than five pushed herself further back into the wardrobe with another sniff and tried to hide behind the coats once more. Mal turned looking for the girl into a game and slowly the sniffling stopped and she heard a giggle instead. Mal pulled back a heavy garnet and black cloak and once again was able to see the girl. “There you are!”_

_The little girl giggled; her cheeks were still rosy and wet but the eyes were no longer fearful. Instead, she gave the Dragon a grin that was full of mischief. Mal knew at that point she was completely smitten. The dark hair and eyes could have easily belonged to her Starla and that pang that never really left her ached again. “And what is your name, Little One?”_

_The little girl hugged her knees to her chest. “Regina.”_

_“That’s a very pretty name,” Mal complimented, internally rolling her eyes at the fact that Cora would actually name her daughter queen. “My name is Mallory.”_

_The dark eyes widened and the little girl scrambled closer, leaning so quickly out of the wardrobe it caught Mal off guard, forcing her to lean back. Regina didn’t notice, not when she whispered, “Are you the dragon?”_

_Ah, Mal thought. Children tended to either be terrified or enthralled with the idea that she was a dragon. Clearly, the daughter of Cora Mills approved of such a possibility. She nodded, “Yes, I am.”_

_“And do you eat people?”_

_Despite her games taking place twenty years earlier, the memory of the taste of blood in her mouth still made Mal recoil. She swallowed thickly not wanting to burden the child with the true implications of that question. “Only when necessary.”_

_Regina nodded sagely as though the wisdom of the ages had been handed down to her. “That’s good.” Her face scrunched up. “Ms Dragon, do you ever make mistakes?”_

_“All the time, Little One,” she assured. “Is that why you were hiding in the wardrobe? Because of a mistake?”_

_“I wasn’t hiding.”_

_“Of course not.” Mal inclined her head. “My mistake.” She gave the little girl a wink and received another grin. “So, why were you inspecting the winter coats?”_

_Regina frowned, not really understanding the question. “Mother says I’m a mistake.”_

_Mallory’s knuckles popped as she clenched her fist. A dozen different ways to destroy Cora Mills flashed through her mind even as she realized she couldn’t act on them without harming the precious little girl in front of her. Muscling down her emotions, Mal reached out a hand and gently cupped Regina’s small chin. “People are never mistakes, Little One.”_

“Mallory?”

“Hmmm?” She glanced over and found Regina watching her, waiting for an answer about Daniel. The boy a young Regina had found and fallen in love with. A first choice outside her mother’s control that had ended horribly and set Regina’s first steps on a cold, lonely path. Her physical innocence may have been lost some weeks later, but Daniel’s death had destroyed something precious before that.

“ _When_ did you know about Daniel?” Regina asked, setting her drink down and facing Mal fully.

Mal noticed she changed her question. Of course, she had known about Daniel. Mal had kept a closer eye on Regina than Cora had. After Regina’s first visit to the ranch, when she’d come back with stars in her eyes, Mal had made moves to try and get Daniel away from the Mills Ranch. But he hadn’t known her, hadn’t trusted her or the money she offered. It hadn’t helped that he too had already been infatuated.

“Do you remember coming to my house and telling me all about how you were going to learn jumping and that there was a new young stable hand that was going to teach you?” Mal asked, watching the backyard volleyball game devolve into a shouting match with several things being thrown at Killian as the ball slowly deflated on the ground.

“You never said anything.”

Mal smiled sadly and looked over at Regina. “What was there to say?”

“Did you try to help him?”

“I did what I could.” By the time Charming came to her seeking her sponsorship, she had confirmed that Cora had arranged everything. The only thing Mal had been able to do was ensure Daniel’s death was quick and relatively painless. Not at all what Cora had had in mind.

Cora had put Regina on complete lockdown after the Reaping. Mal hadn’t even seen her until a few weeks after the games, when she’d made her societal debut on the arm of Graham Hunter.

Before anything more could be said, Emma came jogging over. She was slightly out of breath with a light sheen of perspiration showing on her tanned skin. She plopped down bonelessly near Regina’s outstretched legs. “Well, now that the game is over, we’re going to start grilling the food.”

Regina passed her drink over to the blonde who happily chugged about half of it down. “Who won?”

“Oh, the girls totally won!” she said, laughing.

“It was a tie!” Graham said, walking past them towards the kitchen.

Emma flipped him off. “Killian punctured the ball just so they could end the game and save face.”

Mal supposed it was only natural that a game between victors would be highly competitive. “Are they going to fight over who can grill the best steak as well?”

“Nah, everyone has already conceded that Ruby is the best behind the grill.” Emma got to her feet, stretching her arms over her head. “You two going to join us?”

Mal watched Regina watching Emma. She, too, appreciated the glimpse of toned abs Emma had unwittingly shown them as she stretched, but the look in Regina’s gaze was a bit hungrier. Despite Regina taking more lovers over the years than Mal had wanted to know about, there was something different in her expression when she looked at Emma. “We’ll join you in a moment.”

Emma glanced between them. “Everything okay?” She asked both of them but her attention was on Regina. “Did I interrupt something serious?”

Regina finally stopped staring and smiled. “Nothing serious.”

The blonde didn’t look convinced. She gestured at Regina’s glass. “You want another drink?”

“Yes, thank you.” She handed over the glass that had been mostly drunk by Emma.

“Mal?”

The dragon handed over her empty glass as well. With another suspicious glance between them, Emma ambled off. Regina watched her leave before finding Mal’s gaze once again on her.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“Oh?” Mal asked.

“Daniel was a mistake, Mal,” Regina said, getting to her feet. “A mistake I do not intend to make again.”

Mal watched Regina leave then dropped her head back against the chair. “People are never mistakes, Little One.”


	2. Graham

_“I heard they’ve nicknamed you The Huntsman.”_

_He didn’t really know how to respond to that so he didn’t. He hadn’t picked the name. Ever since his reaping, he wasn’t sure a single thing about his life had been under his control much less a nickname. He sure as hell hadn’t volunteered for all of this, and although it wasn’t unheard of for District 7 to have volunteers, no one had stuck their hand up this year to take his place._

_Luckily, it didn’t seem like she required an answer. She hadn’t even really acknowledged him beyond the single statement. She simply stood at the window, giving her back to him and the rest of the darkened room. He took the opportunity to look around and despite the shadows he could tell it was an opulent room much like the rest of the mansion. But it was cold; it didn’t feel like it belonged to anyone and certainly not a teenage girl, not that he’d been in that many teenage girls’ rooms, but he did have sisters. For all the trappings of this room, it could have been nothing more than one of many spare rooms._

_“Tell me, Huntsman,” she spoke again, her voice monotone, reflecting nothing more than the room did, “do you know why you’re here?”_

_He was here because it had been the weirdest time of his life. He’d been reaped and thrust into the games, had the tools to survive literally and unexpectedly dropped into his lap, and he’d become a killer. There had been interviews and ceremonies, parties held in his honor. Then he’d briefly met his sponsor – Cora Mills._

_He heard the rustle of cloth and caught a glimpse of Cora’s daughter’s profile as she looked over her shoulder, waiting for an answer. He cleared his throat. “Your mother said I am here to escort you tonight.”_

_Regina turned back to the window. “Is that all she told you?”_

_His meeting with Cora had been a brief pause during his whirlwind of events just after the games. He’d been pulled aside during the Victor’s Ball; he’d been told to sign a contract. He’d been told to show up tonight and act like a gentleman. Keep his mouth shut. He shifted his weight, trying to remember any specifics._

_“Did she explain to you what tonight is?”_

_He looked down at his feet. “No.”_

_Finally, Regina turned away from the window. “In your district, do you have any sort of ceremony for when a child becomes an adult?”_

_He frowned. In his district, kids started helping out at the lumber yard in the afternoons by the age of seven. By twelve, they were pulling half shifts after their school hours. “We no longer attend school after seventeen.”_

_“So, by those standards, you are considered a man in your district?”_

_He’d still had a few months of school left, but he had turned seventeen weeks before the reaping. “Been considered a man since I could fell a tree.”_

_“And the girls?” she asked, looking him over. He was muscular but not brawny. Regina thanked the world for small favors. “When do they become women?”_

_“Same standards.” He shrugged having never paid too much attention to it. “Once you can work, you work.”_

_“Well, we do things a little differently here in the Capitol.” She ignored his snort. “We make our societal debut shortly after our fifteenth birthday. After that, we are considered to be of age.”_

_“Of age for what?”_

_She didn’t explain. “Tonight is my societal debut. You are to be my escort.”_

_He would have never guessed she was younger than he was. The way she spoke, the way she stood, he doubted anyone would have called her a girl. “Okay.”_

_Regina eyed him closely. “You will escort me down the grand staircase. We will make the rounds of talking to all the important people. We will attempt dancing if you are at all capable, and at the end of the evening, you will escort me back up the stairs to the applause of the gathered masses.” Her hands briefly flexed into fists, but she pushed down the anger that was burning inside her. She’d tried to fight against her mother’s wishes; she’d lost. “You will bring me back here to this room where you will…bed me.”_

_His gaze followed her hands as she spoke, the way she gestured casually towards the bed, then his brain caught up with what she was saying. He staggered back. “What?” Her head cocked to the side like this was a completely normal conversation. “No. I’m not…no.”_

_For a moment she studied him, then retreated to the dressing table where she sat down and opened a facial powder. “Huntsman, did-”_

_“My name is Graham,” he snapped out._

_She hesitated then gave him a small tilt of her head. “Graham. Did you perchance read the contract you signed with my mother?”_

_“No.” He couldn’t stop looking at the bed. “But she explained it to me.”_

_“She explained it…” she repeated, shaking her head. She’d roll her eyes at his ignorance, but she’d been raised by the woman and knew how persuasive Cora could be. “What did she explain?”_

_He ran a hand through his hair; he was sweating. “I’m basically indentured to her, and you by proxy, for the next five years.”_

_“Which means you have to do her bidding.” Regina gestured again at the bed. “Us having sex tonight is her bidding.” She resented the fact that she had to explain this. She should be the one upset and yet he looked like he was seconds away from jumping out the window. “She chose you for me. She sponsored you in the Games for this reason.”_

_He loosened the tie around his neck; screw his stylists for putting him in such a fancy suit and telling him to have fun tonight. To enjoy himself._

_Regina sat back and watched him. His reaction intrigued her. She’d expected someone called the Huntsman to be more feral. She’d expected a suitor picked by her mother to be someone bold that would happily and eagerly take her to bed. Now it seemed as though she’d be the one dragging the victor against his wishes. Then in an almost blinding moment of understanding, she saw exactly what her mother was doing._

_When her mother had first told her about the Victor from District 7, Regina briefly thought it strange that her mother had chosen to support a tribute from an outlying district. But the thought had been fleeting as she continued to mourn Daniel and tune out most of her mother’s plans. She’d learned from a young age that her input wasn’t necessary or desired. But she saw now that unlike the male tributes from Districts 1 and 2, who were arrogant and self-assured, Graham would be malleable. A simple boy from District 7 would be someone Regina could control._

_And control was something Cora always preached._

_Music began wafting up from downstairs and Regina glanced at the clock. It was almost time. She would eventually find some way to stop dancing to her mother’s tune, but it would not be today. Today, she would have to take control._

_“Graham.” She snapped out his name and he stopped his pacing immediately, eyes darting to her. “I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say.” She moved into his space, hands reaching for his tie. “The only way we are going to get through this is if we work together. There’s a room full of people down there waiting to fawn and paw over both of us. So, I need you to pull yourself together, slip into that killer mindset,-” he tried to balk, but she held him in place, “and act like you are better than all of them.” She jerked on his tie until he made eye contact with her. “Because you **are** better than them. Do you understand me?”_

_The way she held his gaze was more grounding than any words she spoke. He swallowed thickly and nodded. “What about-?” He indicated the bed with his chin._

_“It has to be done.” She caught him by the jaw when he tried to look away. “But we will worry about that when we get back up here. Right now, we have a room full of people to impress, and by impress, I mean remind them that they are less than us. They are beneath our notice. They crave **our** attention not the other way around.” She patted down his jacket and tucked away an errant curl of hair. “So, put on your game face and pretend to hate all of them.” She stepped back, assessing his appearance. “Do you think you can do that?”_

_Graham straightened away from the wall. Killer mindset, right. He tugged on the bottom hem of his vest and then offered her his arm. “I won’t have to pretend.”_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

“Graham?”

He glanced down at his dancing partner as they moved effortlessly around the floor. Her dark brow arched; he gave her a grin. She didn’t even have to ask. “I was thinking about the first time we ever danced.”

She tensed for a moment then forced herself to relax. “If you are referring to my society debut, that wasn’t dancing, dear. That was barely swaying.” She didn’t like to think about that night, but without Graham it could have been so much worse. “It took six months’ worth of lessons before you did anything that resembled dancing.”

He spun her out in a twirl and brought her back to his chest. “And look at us now.”

“Yes, look at us, twelve years later and we’re still dancing at a ball surrounded by people we hate. How far we’ve come,” Regina drawled, smiling nastily at a couple dancing too close to them.

He laughed. “We don’t hate _everyone_ here.”

“Present company excluded,” she remarked dryly.

“Oh?” He noticed a few latecomers to the party. “I can think of a couple of people you might like.”

“Who could you possibly think-?” Her question dropped off as Graham spun her towards the entrance. Ruby Lucas and Emma Swan had just arrived, and while Ruby was already chatting to someone beside her, the blonde was scanning the dance floor. A genuine smile stretched her face when she locked eyes with Regina; thankfully, she refrained from waving.

“See anyone whose company you might enjoy?” Graham whispered in Regina’s ear, before pulling her back into the dance as Emma’s attention was also drawn elsewhere. He loved that Regina looked so lost in thought after only making eye contact with the blonde. “So, what’s going on with you two, anyway?”

Her focus snapped back to him. “What are you talking about?”

He gave her an exasperated look. When she continued to remain obstinate, he sighed, “You like her.”

She scoffed, “Well, of course, I like her. You know me well enough, Graham, to know I wouldn’t spend time with her if I didn’t like her.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he said. “You’re attracted to her.”

She surprised him by not denying it. “She’s beautiful.” She may have admitted she’d noticed the blonde’s appearance, but she wasn’t about to admit just how often she’d noticed. Nor _when_ she’d noticed, like when Emma used the gym at her home. Or when she did laps in the pool…

“And…” Graham pressed. He’d never known Regina to see someone she liked and not pursue them.

“And nothing.” She was getting annoyed; Graham knew better than to try and push her like this. They’d completed another circuit of the floor and she wondered how long the damn song was going to play for. “Why would you expect there to be anything more?”

“Because you like her and she likes you.”

“That’s absurd,” she said. She caught his smirk and glared. “She’s under contract to me. That’s all.”

“ _That’s all,_ she says.” He rolled his eyes. “Regina, she’s at your house almost every weekend. If it was just about her contract, you’d only see her once a quarter.”

“She needed a place to stay when she comes to the Capitol.”

“She could have stayed at Lily’s; I know she offered,” he countered.

“As though I would allow that,” she muttered. The song finally stopped and they both turned to offer the musicians applause.

“I thought you liked Lily,” Graham commented as he clapped.

“I _know_ Lily; there’s a difference,” Regina somewhat growled, “and I sincerely doubt Miss Page’s intentions towards Emma are innocent.” And, yes, she liked Lily; she was one of her longest lasting friendships.

Graham laughed outright as he glanced past Regina’s shoulder. “Well, then, in that case, you should definitely warn Emma about that.”

“Warn Emma about what?”

Regina spun around to find Emma Swan standing behind her. The blonde grinned goofily at her. “Hi.” She offered Regina a flower from behind her back. “May I have this dance?”

“Well, I-” Regina looked back over her shoulder only to find Graham had disappeared. The smug bastard had totally set her up. She’d kill him later. She turned back to Emma, who wagged her eyebrows at her; Regina accepted the purple and yellow flower that had clearly been plucked off the buffet table centerpiece. “It would seem, Miss Swan, that I am available for this dance.”

As they began a circuit around the floor, Regina asked, “What are you doing here?”

Emma frowned as Regina actually let her lead, circling them around the outer edge of the floor. “Dancing?”

“This is the Victor’s Ball,” Regina pointed out. “I thought you hated attending these.” Especially when once again Emma’s tributes had not lasted past the bloodbath.

“Ruby heard the president was going to be here and suggested we be seen in attendance.” She shrugged. “I knew you’d be here so I figured why not.” They completed a couple of intricate passes with other nearby couples. “Dancing with you would at least make it worthwhile.”

“You flatter me,” Regina said, dryly. Emma simply grinned. “But Miss Lucas isn’t wrong. If your attendance is expected at an event, you should be there.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She laughed at Regina’s disgruntled expression. “I’m here! I will be seen. So, it’s all good. Nothing to worry about.” She paused then, “Unless, of course, you want to tell me what it is Graham said you should warn me about.”

Regina felt the heat rise to her face. “It was nothing.”

“Didn’t sound like nothing.”

“I assure you-”

“Maybe I should ask Graham.”

“Don’t you dare!” With a deft move, Regina switched their positions and began to lead the dancing. Emma’s amusement at her taking control was ignored. Thankfully, the blonde was a much better dancer than Graham had ever been. And after a few turns, Regina finally had her thoughts ordered enough to offer something reasonable. “I simply expressed a concern regarding the amount of time you spend with Miss Page.”

Emma’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. “Lily?” Lines furrowed above her nose. “Wait, I thought you and Lily had-”

“It was one time!” Regina snapped. When Emma raised her eyebrows, she grudgingly admitted, “One night. It was one night.”


	3. Ruby

_“Well, maybe you should try girls.”_

_Regina choked on the smoke in her lungs. “W-what?!” Her eyes started watering and she sat up, waving the smoke out of her face._

_Lily laughed at her reaction. “Oh, come on, Mills. Your mom isn’t around anymore. Try something new.”_

_While it was true that her mother, dead for two years may she rot in hell, had been rather tyrannical about heterosexual relationships, Regina had never been vanilla. She’d rather enjoyed flaunting a few men through the house when her mother had still been alive. But as long as they’d been of good social standing, her mother had barely batted an eye. She’d even praised Regina at one point for making good social contacts._

_Her mother’s seething disapproval had been the main reason she’d sponsored Killian to begin with. He’d been a sailor from District 4 with absolutely nothing to offer except his rakish good looks and questionable charm. Cora had forbidden Regina from sending him so much as a grain of rice, but Regina had turned eighteen and come into her own money that Cora couldn’t control. Oh, how she had wanted to flaunt the bad boy pirate in front of her mother._

_Then the bitch had gone and gotten herself killed during the Victor’s ball._

_Lily sat up, misinterpreting her friend’s frown. “Listen, you said yourself that Killian wasn’t really doing it for you, right?”_

_Regina glared at her. “Killian knows what he’s doing and is quite capable.”_

_Lily held on to her patience. She’d long suspected Regina had an eye for the ladies but had always known this wouldn’t be an easy conversation. Regina’s stubbornness easily matched her own. “Okay, so he’s getting you off-”_

_“Must you be so crude?”_

_“-but you’re not exactly satisfied,” Lily finished without missing a beat. “You feel like there’s maybe something still missing?”_

_Her friend had a point, but Regina also wasn’t oblivious. She had caught Lily checking her out more than once. “How do I know this isn’t just you finally trying to get into my pants?”_

_Lily made a point of looking at the skin-tight black leather pants Regina was currently wearing. “Now who’s being crude?” She took a sip of her drink, watching the point hit home. Regina looked slightly ashamed for suggesting… “And for the record, those pants you got on are so tight, I’d never be able to get my hand far enough in them to do anything remotely satisfying for you.”_

_Regina’s eyes snapped back up. She scoffed in disgust and got to her feet. “I don’t have to sit here-”_

_“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Lily jumped to her feet, holding up her hands. She didn’t have it in her to apologize but she didn’t want Regina to leave either. “You’re gorgeous, okay? I’d have to be dead not to notice it, and I’m not dead.” She wobbled her hand. “Despite the Capitol’s best efforts.”_

_Regina wasn’t looking at her but that earned her a small smirk. Lily risked reaching out and taking hold of Regina’s hand. “You’re the only real friend that I’ve got,” she admitted and brown eyes met hers. “And despite **knowing** I could teach you a few things you’d find highly enjoyable, you’re right.” Lily knew Regina always liked being right. “I’m probably not the best one for you to try this with. I just think you should consider it. I mean, you’re missing out on half the population.” _

_“The better half,” Regina muttered._

_“Exactly.” Lily smiled. “And hey, maybe one day, we’ll give us a try.” She frowned then thinking of something unexpected. “Maybe when my mother is out of town.”_

_Regina paled at the thought of Mallory finding out. The rumor mill insisted that there were more than a couple of Lily’s lovers that had never been seen or heard from again. She cleared her throat, deciding then and there that Lily was off limits._

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

_A few months later, at the Victor’s Ball for the 61 st Hunger Games, Regina was finally ready to try out Lily’s suggestion. She allowed a small grin when the door to the study opened. “Good evening, Miss Lucas.” She stood and held out her hand. “I’m Regina Mills.”_

_Ruby swallowed hard and crossed the room, accepting the offered hand in greeting. “Hey.”_

_Regina gestured for her to have a seat in one of the plush chairs. The chairs were a hideous green color that she would never have present in her house, but the otherwise well-adorned office suited her needs for the moment. “How are you feeling?”_

_The newly crowned victor from District 8 was all limbs. Long legs that she nervously crossed, then uncrossed when she sank further into the chair than expected. Her long dark hair with a defiant red streak in it was artfully pulled back, but Regina had the distinct impression the young woman was accustomed to wearing it down, using it as a bit of a shield, or something to occupy her hands with._

_“I’m all right, I guess,” she said, shrugging carelessly._

_Regina arched an eyebrow. “You guess?”_

_“My shoulder is sore and feels like it’s grinding rocks, but they tell me I’m fine and to just give it a few days.”_

_“I see.” In a fight with one of the careers, Ruby had completely dislocated her shoulder. She’d finished the fight, escaped, and then popped it back in herself by slamming it up against a tree. Regina made a mental note to have an appointment set up for Ruby with her physicians. The Games’ doctors probably didn’t care about the health of a District 8 victor as much as they should._

_“They tell me you’re the one that helped me in the games,” Ruby said unexpectedly._

_“I sponsored you, yes.”_

_“Sponsored,” Ruby repeated, looking unseeing around the room. “Right.” She settled further into the chair, raising one bare arm over her head to grip the back of the chair. “So, you’re into girls?”_

_Regina was thankful the wine glass she held had a thick stem. “I beg your pardon.”_

_“That’s why you helped me, right? I’m a badass, tough chick. You thought it would be hot to bang the new victor.” She shrugged. “It’s cool. It’s not like I’m a virgin or anything.”_

_Regina dug her nails into the meat of her hand. It was true Regina was curious about Ruby, interested, and yes attracted; the victor was athletically fit and easy to look at. The medical file on her, taken before the games began, indicated she was sexually active and free of any disease. So, while some of things Ruby said were true, her bravado rang false._

_Regina cleared her throat. “Miss Lucas, I’m not sure what exactly you were expecting to happen here tonight, but it won’t be sex.” She pushed the folder on the coffee table closer towards Ruby. “There are two contracts in there for you to read over and sign.”_

_Confusion was clear on Ruby’s face as she dropped her arm and leaned forward, suddenly much more unsure of herself. “Contracts?”_

_“I’m not interested in a one-night stand, Miss Lucas. And if I wanted a service girl, I could order whatever I wanted and have her delivered.” Regina appreciated seeing the color rise in Ruby’s cheeks. “In the future, I think you’ll find it best to not assume anything about my expectations of you.”_

_Ruby swallowed hard. “Yes, ma’am.”_

_And now the girl had done a complete turnaround. Regina laid a pen on top of the folders. “My assistant will be waiting outside the doors for you. Once you’ve read over the documents and signed, please hand them over to him.” She gathered her clutch and wine glass. “It was lovely meeting you, dear. Congratulations on your victory.”_

_Ruby’s head snapped up from where she had just started reading. The haunted look that Regina had seen in Graham’s eyes passed over her. But then she nodded too quickly. “Thank you, by the way, for you know…for helping me.”_

_“It was my pleasure,” Regina said then walked to the door. She paused before she opened it, half-turning back. “Oh, and Ruby?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Sex between us is not off the table, but it will be informed and consensual by all parties.” At Ruby’s widening eyes, Regina winked and left the room._

_“Did everything go well?” Henry asked, the music from the grand hall almost washing out his voice._

_Regina hesitated. “I think so actually.”_

_Henry looked surprised, his eyes darting towards the doors. “I expected you to be longer.”_

_She smirked. “When she comes out, help her escape if she wants to leave. If not, you can still go home, Daddy.” She bent over and kissed his cheek. “I don’t think I’ll be home tonight.”_

_She ignored the way he shook his head and sighed; she had more important things on her mind. She grabbed a new glass of champagne as she entered back into the main ball room and began to scan the crowd. She found who she was looking for and walked directly to her, interrupted the conversation she was having and glared at the third party until they left._

_“You’re back earlier than expected.”_

_“Couldn’t do it. She’s young and in over her head.” Regina took a sip of her bubbly drink. “I think it’ll happen eventually, but there’s plenty of time for her. Not so much for you.”_

_“For me?”_

_“Mmm-hmmm, you see, I happen to know for a fact that Mallory is not in the Capitol tonight.”_

_Lily’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. “Is that right?”_

_“And she’s not expected back for at least two days.”_

_“A lot could happen in two days.”_

_“And since I’m not going to be spending my evening with Miss Lucas tonight, which by the way, is all your fault, I think it’s only fair that you be the one to entertain me.”_

_“While I don’t follow your logic,” Lily laughed, setting her drink down, “I also don’t think I care. I’d be happy to entertain you.”_

_“You set up certain expectations for me with my victor tonight.” She gave Lily a long once-over. “I suppose you’ll have to do instead.”_

_Lily gripped her by the elbow and began leading her out. “I assure you, Ms Mills,” She saw Killian salute with his glass as they walked past, “You will not be disappointed.”_


	4. Killian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading. I hope you're enjoying.   
> And don't worry, Emma will be getting more screen time and into trouble soon.

“Are you seriously worried about me seducing Emma?” Lily asked, barging into the mansion as though she lived there, which she had off and on over the years.

Accustomed to Lily’s less than cultured upbringing, Regina barely batted an eye at the unannounced visitor. It had been several days since the Victor’s ball and her conversation with Graham. She wasn’t surprised to learn Graham and Lily had talked. “Are you implying the thought hasn’t crossed your mind?”

Lily dropped onto the stool across the kitchen island where Regina stood. “It crossed my mind the moment Mom pointed her out to me,” she admitted. “And then she told me that you had sponsored Emma.” She slapped her hands against each other, wiping them off, then holding them up in surrender. “Hands off.”

“Hmmm, now where have I heard that before?” Regina didn’t even look up from the message she was typing out.

Lily frowned, trying to think of what she was referring to, then laughed, “You mean, Hook?”

_The video scanned the tributes all standing on their pedestals as the countdown began. The vista was a frozen tundra and half of the tributes were already shivering. The cornucopia offered its usual bounty of weapons, but it also contained warm clothing and food. Claudius Templesmith’s voice boomed with each number of the countdown before finally announcing, “Let the 59 th Annual Hunger Games begin.” _

_The tributes started running for their lives, some away, some towards the cornucopia. Half of them slipped and fell, stumbling on the slippery ice and snow. As the male tribute from District 9 slid straight into District 1’s waiting spear, Regina crossed his name off her very short list. She sipped from a glass of cider as her gaze skipped over most of the carnage being shown. She was only interested in two of the remaining tributes, Mateo from District 11 and Killian from District 4. Idly, she noted the body of District 7’s female tribute. Graham hadn’t held much hope for his district’s offerings this year, but he had expected the girl to last longer than the boy._

_The careers were, of course, the favorites and were creating plenty of carnage. Most people believed Killian would join the career pack, but Regina knew even if he did, he would be at the bottom of the pecking order. Like most career sponsors, Regina had completed her own evaluation of all the tributes. This was her first games as an independent sponsor and she had every intention of winning._

_Believing her daughter to still be subservient, Cora had forbid Regina from sponsoring anyone other than a career. She had also insisted that Regina not take a winner this year. She could be generous, toss a few trinkets in support, but Graham was under contract for another two years. She didn’t need anyone else._

_Regina couldn’t wait to rub her mother’s nose in it when she brought home the winner. She had grand plans for her mother to catch Regina and her chosen victor in all sorts of compromising positions. Because despite having turned fifteen three years earlier, Regina had only taken control of her own financial assets on her eighteenth birthday. She had her own money now and could do whatever she pleased with it. And what she pleased, was to shout a big ‘fuck you’ to her mother._

_A boy that worked in the fields of District 11 or a boy that sailed on a fishing boat in District 4 were both perfectly suitable candidates for Regina’s plans. It didn’t hurt that Killian had rakish good looks and oozed charm in every interview; the charm didn’t do it for her but his lack of personal standing was a point in his favor. Mateo was a bit rougher in his looks, but Regina thought he would clean up well. His similar appearance to her father at a young age was not exactly a turn-on but its annoyance factor to her mother was invaluable._

_As the blood bath played out, Mateo grabbed a pack on the outer perimeter and then took off running away. Killian was laughing and drinking from a flask, his one personal item, as he fought off would-be attackers. If he joined the Careers, she’d have to sponsor Mateo; she wouldn’t allow her mother a single sliver of a win. But her research had shown that Killian was known to have a fierce independent streak. If he broke away, she already knew what she would gift him._

_Most sponsors started off with small trinkets; they wanted the tributes to prove themselves worthy of better gifts. Regina wasn’t going to do that. She was going to set him up to win from the start. She had a long, leather duster to help shield him from the cold and a sword lined up to be sent to him as soon as she gave the word. She’d spoken with the captain of his last ship and been assured that Killian was an excellent swordsman. She just needed him to leave…_

_He sat rather jauntily on a crate at the edge of the cornucopia as the Careers surrounded him in a half-circle._

_“Come on,” Regina muttered, scanning the other live feeds to check on Mateo. He was still running across the tundra towards the distant hills. He didn’t look as though the cold agreed with him. Regina considered her secondary list of possibilities._

_One of the Careers dropped to his knees, his hands grabbing at the knife embedded in his neck. Killian was casually holding a matching blade in his hands. “Now unless each of you wants to die right here, like this poor soul, I suggest you let me take my leave.” The Careers backed off as he began walking backwards. “I’ll go kill tributes out this way; you go kill tributes in that direction.” He casually flipped the blade and she noticed he had a few more of the throwing knives in his other hand. “We meet back here in a few days to decide the victor.”_

_“It’s still three against one. Why shouldn’t we kill you right now?” The Career her mother favored asked._

_Killian had put a few more steps of distance between them. “Because I **know** I can kill all of you before you bring me down.” He threw another blade that stuck into the side of the cornucopia, grazing the cheek of one of the girls. “Are you certain you can take me?”_

_Regina grinned and hit approve to send the first parachute to Killian as soon as he was by himself. She was about to buy herself a champion._

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

_At the Victor’s Ball, everyone was having a blast celebrating Killian’s triumph. Regina raised her glass in toast with everyone else when President Snow congratulated the newly dubbed Pirate. Killian still wore the black leather duster that Regina had gifted him (cleaned of blood) and it fell perfectly to the edge of his gleaming silver hook that now took the place of his left hand. She had made arrangements to meet him and reveal her hand in his success in an hour. She already knew he wouldn’t be at all like Graham, shy, polite…a gentleman. She would have Killian tonight, preferably in her mother’s bed so the bitch would be certain to walk in on them._

_Regina made the appropriate rounds, talking to the right people, acknowledging the less important ones. She’d lost track of her victor in the crowd of people celebrating, as if they’d had a damn thing to do with any of it, but she knew where Killian was supposed to be in a few minutes. She made her way towards the study she had arranged to use, mildly irritated that her father wasn’t already there waiting for her. Her irritation distracted her as she opened the door and walked inside, fully confronting two half-naked people making clear use of the couch. The flash of a silver hook gripping the back of the couch broke her out of her stunned gaze._

_“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?”_

_The two people sprung apart; the woman landing at the opposite end of the couch as Killian lay sprawled against the cushioned arm. He smirked, not at all bothered with his unbuttoned shirts and pants. “Hello, love. Come to join us?”_

_She was actually speechless at his audacity; movement caught her eye and she spun to face the woman pulling her shirt back in place only to realize- “Lily?!”_

_“Oh, hey Regina.” Lily quickly wiped her thumb over her lips. She gave Regina a quick once over. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here.”_

_“What the hell are you doing with **my** victor” _

_“ **Your** victor?” Lily asked, glancing at Killian who was wisely staying out of it. Then it all clicked. “You sponsored him?” She got to her feet, pulling down her very short skirt as she stood. “Oh my god, your mother is going to shit a brick!” She smoothed her hair back as she met dark eyes. “Oh, but then that’s why you did it, isn’t it?” Lily cackled, “Mal is going to love this!”_

_Regina batted her off when Lily wrapped her up in a quick hug still laughing. “Get off me.”_

_“Sponsor, eh?” Killian glanced down at his bared chest. “Shall I just leave this on display then?”_

_“Put your clothes on!” Regina snapped, still flustered._

_“To business then,” he said as he sat up and began straightening his clothes._

_Lily took Regina by the elbow and led her away from him. “I didn’t know he was yours. You kept that under wraps,” she pointed out. “I wouldn’t have gone near him had I known.”_

_Regina glanced over to the couch where Killian was clearly having trouble redressing himself with one hand and a hook. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Will you please just go help him?”_

_Lily smirked. “But we’re good?”_

_“Fine.” She hated admitting that Lily was right but she had kept her sponsorship as secretive as possible. “We’re fine.” There was a timid knock at the door. She steered Lily back towards the pirate as she wrenched open the door to find her father had finally arrived. “It’s about time-” She trailed off. He looked pale and shaken. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”_

_“It’s your mother…she’s dead.”_


	5. Friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I know the order has gotten a little screwy - here's a cheat sheet.  
> Graham won 56th games, Lily won 57th games, Killian won 59th games, Ruby won 61st games, and Emma won 66th games.  
> Hope that helps.

“You’ve got to let that go,” Lily said, eying the cup of coffee Regina was drinking. “I told you I didn’t know Killian was yours.”

“Hmmm,” Regina hummed noncommittally, still scrolling through her work.

Lily hopped off her stool to get her own mug of coffee. “Speaking of someone who is yours, why haven’t you slept with Emma yet?”

“What makes you think I haven’t?”

Lily grinned; Regina had finally looked up from her emails. “You haven’t,” she said confidently. “If you had, you wouldn’t be so insecure about her.”

“I am _not_ insecure about Emma.”

“Poor choice of words,” Lily said when Regina glared at her. Accurate perhaps but nothing Regina would ever accept. “But seriously, why not?”

“She isn’t ready.”

Lily almost laughed and pointed out the obvious, but she hesitated. Regina wasn’t looking at her when she said it; she was studying her coffee like it held the resumes for all of the next year’s tributes. “Regina, we both know that’s not the real reason. So, what is? What’s holding you back?”

The brunette’s head snapped up; she looked caught, ready to lash out. Lily’s gentle expression, not mocking for once, made her pull back. She grimaced then admitted, “Emma is still under contract to me and I don’t want her to think…I want it to be consensual.”

“Emma adores you,” Lily pointed out. “Contract or not, that girl worships the ground you strut across.” She enjoyed Regina’s glare. “Not to mention the fact that you have never once forced yourself upon anyone. I doubt you’d start with Emma of all people.”

“I’d just like to be sure,” Regina said. “I don’t want there to be any misconceptions.”

Regina really cared for Emma. “If you’re that worried about it,” which Lily didn’t think she needed to be, “you could release her early from her contract with you.”

“And let the jackals descend upon her?” Regina’s face darkened. “Not a chance.”

“Well, then,” Lily drawled, “you could always try, oh I don’t know, _talking_ to her about it.”

“You think I haven’t tried?” Regina looked exasperated. “She isn’t like Ruby or Hook. It’s not so easy with her. I don’t want to just tell her to get her ass up to my bedroom and strip.”

They both heard the front door open. Emma’s voice called from the foyer, “Hey, Regina, you up?”

“Not a word!” Regina pointed a finger at Lily, warning her. Lily snorted into her coffee, a darkened flush high in Regina’s cheeks.

“Morning!” Emma walked into the kitchen; she started slightly at the sight of two people. “Oh. Hey Lily, you’re here early, aren’t you?”

Lily watched Regina fix Emma a cup of coffee and hand it to her without being asked. She had to clear her throat. “Just here for a bit of morning gossip, I’m afraid.” She saluted Regina with her mug, earning a sneer. “I like to catch this one before she gets started for the day.”

“Oh, are you working?” Emma asked Regina, clearly disappointed at the idea. “I thought you’d be off today.”

“Just a few morning calls,” Regina lied. “What did you have in mind, dear?”

The blonde brightened. “Nothing specific really. Thought you might want to go riding or something? Or you know, hang out here by the pool?”

“That sounds lovely,” Regina said, mentally rearranging her packed schedule. “We could take the afternoon train out to Ten and stay a couple of days.”

Lily sipped her coffee quietly, staying in the corner out of the way; she was clearly superfluous to the conversation. She and Ruby constantly connived ways to get the two of them to spend time together; it had been Ruby’s suggestion for Emma to try and get Regina away from work for the weekend. The two idiots were obviously in love with each other, but Lily was beginning to doubt she and Ruby’s subtle efforts were ever going to pan out. She was worried they might have to resort to locking Emma and Regina in a room together to make them admit anything.

Then Lily spotted movement on the staircase leading to the upper floors of the mansion and choked on her coffee. Emma and Regina both looked to her when she started coughing and missed the first sight of a beautiful blonde woman descending into their presence.

“Regina, I hope you don’t mind-” the blonde walked into the kitchen still adjusting her earrings, her voice trailing off when she didn’t find Regina alone. “Oh. Good morning.”

Lily saw Regina’s eyes widen as her face paled and she glanced quickly to Emma. But Emma was already looking at the woman, green eyes narrowed as she traced up long legs to a ridiculously short evening dress that shimmered when the woman moved. And as the sheath dress was tight enough to be painted on, even the woman’s breathing made it shimmer and reflect off all the surfaces around the kitchen.

But the woman wasn’t paying any attention to Emma. “Lily? Is that you?”

Oh shit.

Lily’s gaze finally flew past the two women in front of her and realized she, too, knew the tall blonde now in their midst. “Oh, hey, Constance.” The woman sat co-anchor to Claudius Templesmith for Panem’s highest rated morning talk show. Lily had slept with her after some Capitol event a few months earlier. “Nice to see you again.”

“Hmmm, I somehow doubt that.” Constance recovered more quickly than the rest of them. She moved further into the kitchen to fix her own cup of coffee. Regina moved away from her, backing up until she was shoulder to shoulder with Lily against the counter. Constance’s gaze swept over the two brunettes before settling on Emma.

Constance was a quick study, eyeing the way Emma had stood as well, shifting her weight while glancing protectively at the other two women. The talk show host circled back around to stand in front of Emma. “Constance Morningstar.” She offered her hand. “And you’re Emma Swan.”

Emma shook her hand but glanced again towards Regina. “I know who you are, Ms Morningstar.”

Constance smirked and held Regina’s glare. “But you’re wondering why I’m here.”

“I can take a guess,” Emma said, crossing her arms over her chest, “but it’s really none of my business nor anything you should be sharing.”

“Oh, Reggie! I like this one!” Constance laughed. They all saw Regina visibly shudder at the nickname. “A word of advice, Ms Swan.” Constance pointed at Lily. “Be careful with that one. She doesn’t call the day after.”

Lily mumbled something into her coffee that sounded suspiciously like, “Regina won’t be calling either, bitch.”

The smug look on Constance’s face fell; Emma smirked at the woman. Regina cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Constance, I-”

Coffee spilled over the rim of the mug when Constance set it down. “Don’t worry, Regina, I can find my own way out.” She glanced once more at Emma then spun on her heel, grabbed Regina by the front of her blazer and slammed their lips together. The kiss was hard, possessive, and lasted longer than necessary. Constance pulled away and swiped her thumb over the corner of her mouth. “Thanks for a great night, Regina. I’m going to be sore for days.”

She winked at Emma then sauntered out, leaving a frozen tableau in the kitchen. The slamming of the front door shattered it. Regina moved first, turning towards Emma, “Emma, I-”

But the blonde took one look at her and stormed out the back door. Regina blinked, looked towards Lily. Lily pointed at the corner of her mouth. “You’ve got a bit of-”

Regina quickly wiped her hand over her mouth and found a smear of Constance’s dark red lipstick. “Damn it!” She hurried out of the kitchen, chasing after Emma.

Lily chuckled and moved to refill her coffee. “Oh, I don't think it's Emma that isn't ready.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Emma, I…”

Emma was leaning against Regina’s apple tree, trying to sort herself out. She knew how she felt about Regina; she was pretty sure most everyone but Regina knew how she felt. But she also knew Regina wasn’t hers to feel that way about. Constance was not the first lover Regina had taken while Emma had been Regina’s victor; Emma doubted it would be her last. After all, there was nothing in the contract prohibiting Regina from relationships. But Constance was the first one Emma had come face-to-face with.

It rankled.

Then again, Regina hadn’t chased after Constance.

Emma looked over her shoulder to see Regina standing only a few feet away. She hadn’t expected it. And by the look on Regina’s face, she hadn’t expected to do it. The woman was wringing her hands and frowning at the ground. She looked unsure and Emma had to admit, she didn’t like it. “Regina, it’s okay.”

Regina looked up, almost surprised she was so close to Emma. “What’s okay?”

She wasn’t out there to apologize. There was nothing to apologize for. She’d slept with someone. So, what? That wasn’t something she apologized for.

Ever.

Emma didn’t expect an apology. In two plus years together, she didn’t think she’d ever heard the words leave Regina’s mouth. She wasn’t sure the woman knew how to apologize.

But it begged the question why Regina had followed her outside.

“Regina-”

“Emma-”

They both started and stopped. Emma gestured, “Go ahead.”

Regina looked anywhere but at her. “Why are you here?”

Emma had always worried she was spending too much time at Regina’s house. The woman had told her she was welcome any time, and Henry had practically insisted that if Emma was in the Capitol she should stay at the mansion, but she should’ve known she was imposing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I can find somewhere else-”

Regina brought her hand up, halting Emma’s rambling. “I didn’t ask because I’m upset you’re here, Emma.”

“You’re not?”

“No.” Regina shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. She should’ve known that was the conclusion the blonde would jump to. “I ask because…because I don’t understand why you choose to be here.”

Emma straightened. “I like being here.”

“But _why_?” Regina had tried on many sleepless nights to imagine why Emma often showed up at unexpected times. She never minded; she just couldn’t wrap her head around choosing the mansion over all the other possibilities the Capitol offered.

“I don’t know, I guess I’m comfortable here,” Emma said. “I mean, you’ve got the pool and a killer selection of movies to watch. I can work out in your gym or sit out here and read a book. Henry always puts out something for me to snack on even when I tell him I ate on the train.”

Regina nodded. So, it was the creature comforts Emma craved. She could understand that she supposed. Emma hadn’t grown up with the luxuries she had. It was reasonable that she wanted to take advantage of them now.

“And, you know, you’re usually working from home so I always get to see you,” Emma pointed out.

Regina had been nodding along, filing away the specific things Emma mentioned so she’d make sure she always had them available, when her thoughts slammed into the wall Emma had just thrown down. She looked up. “You get to see me?”

Emma laughed, “Well, yeah, getting to hang out with you is kind of the point.”

“The point of what?”

“Coming to the mansion.” Emma was starting to look at her with concern. “Regina, you do realize that’s why I come here all the time, don’t you?”

“Because you’re under contract to me.”

Emma bristled the way she always did when she thought of the contract. Yes, it was a good thing overall, but it still chafed a bit. “Regina the terms of the contract only have us seeing each other four times a year,” she said. “I come to the mansion because I like spending time with you.”

“You like…?” And they were back to Regina’s complete inability to understand. She shook her head. “Emma, I am not someone people enjoy spending time with.”

“Considering you had three women in your kitchen this morning, I beg to differ.”

“Lily doesn’t count,” Regina said, “and…that woman this morning-”

“Constance.”

“I _know_ her name,” Regina growled, not appreciating the smirk on Emma’s face. “ _She_ doesn’t count either.”

“Why not?”

“She was just someone to have sex with; it’s not like we’re friends or anything,” she said, then, “What? Why are you smiling?”

Emma was smiling. “So, you admit that you do have friends? And if Lily doesn’t count, that must mean you consider me your friend.”

“Your logic is very circular.”

Emma’s smile grew. “You still haven’t denied it.”

Regina tucked her hands in the pockets of her blazer, looking smaller than usual. “Well, we are, aren’t we?” She glanced up but couldn’t quite bring herself to hold Emma’s gaze. “Friends?”

It was a start, Emma thought. “Yes, we are.” She looped her arm through Regina’s. “Now let’s go find some breakfast.” And maybe, they could start working on being more than just friends.


	6. Advice and an Introduction

When the mahogany doors to Mal’s home office unexpectedly opened, she looked up to find her assistant allowing Regina inside. Regina and Lily were the only two people that were allowed to interrupt her without an appointment. It was always concerning when either did.

“Regina, is everything all right?” She closed down two open documents and nodded to her assistant that it was okay for him to leave.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Regina started, taking a seat across from her. “I was in the neighborhood…no, that’s not true at all. I came directly here and I could’ve called ahead, but I didn’t want to.” She frowned, mostly at Mal’s desk, barely looking up.

Mal was both amused and even more concerned. Regina was rambling and Regina did not ramble. “It’s no bother at all.” She was quite sure her assistant was already cancelling her afternoon appointments. “But, Regina, dear,” she waited until the younger woman finally looked at her, “are you all right?”

“I’ve become friends with Emma.”

It had been a very long time since Mal had not known exactly what she wanted to say in any given situation. But the statement laid at her feet had her brain snapping out options ranging from surprise to sarcasm as fast as she could discard them. After a moment, when nothing else was offered, Mal tried the most diplomatic reply she could think of. “And?”

“ _And_ ,” Regina drawled, “that implies I have some sort of personal relationship with her.” She shot back up to her feet to pace in front of Mal’s desk. “I don’t _do_ personal relationships.”

“What about Lily?”

Regina waved her off. “Lily doesn’t count.”

Mal bristled, “And why doesn’t my daughter count?”

“Because Lily is just as morally bankrupt as the rest of us. I’ve known her for what, ten years now? Lily knows who I am; she knows how the world works. She’s not Ruby or…or…”

“Emma?” Mal supplied, starting to smirk.

“Exactly,” Regina said, missing an obvious jab she was so worked up. “She was just supposed to be a contract, another victor to make the Mills name look good. But now, now I’ve gone and gotten… _feelings_ for her.”

“Well, it’s about time,” Mal said, lighting up a cigarillo. This was turning out to be the best interruption she’d had in months.

Regina spun on her heel. “What?”

Mal exhaled a plume of smoke. “Regina, you’re getting older and the tributes are staying the same age. You can’t keep looking for companionship there. I don’t care what the rest of the capitol does.”

“I do no such-”

“And Emma is good for you! She likes you.”

“She’s indebted to me.”

While true, anyone with eyes could see Emma cared for Regina. In fact… “Is she the one that pointed out this friendship to you?” It wasn’t the sort of thing Regina usually noticed and certainly didn’t acknowledge.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe.”

Which meant yes. “Should I point out to you that she’d probably be interested in more than friendship, too?”

Regina stared at her for a full moment before paling slightly. She dropped her arms down to her sides and strode straight towards the dragon’s liquor cabinet. Mal watched the reaction with interest. She’d expected Regina to simply blow her off, but this seemed more like… “Oh. When you said you had feelings for her, you meant…”

“I haven’t felt this way about anyone since Daniel.”

Mal’s eyes widened, not just at the sight of Regina knocking back half a glass of bourbon, but at the admission itself. She wondered if this was Regina’s first drink of the day. “And have you spoken to Emma about this?”

Regina shook her head. “I don’t…Lily suggested I release Emma from her contract early.”

“And let the president’s sycophants have a shot at her early? No way in hell.”

“That’s basically what I said.” Regina sank back into the chair in front of Mal’s desk. “But I don’t want her to feel obligated to me. If I propositioned her, would she feel comfortable turning me down. Would she think she could? And if we were to enter into a relationship, would she feel like my equal? What if she wanted to break up with me? Would she think she could?”

Mal waved her hand. “Regina, stop. Let’s take this one step at a time.” She shook her head. “You’ve already got the poor girl breaking up with you when you haven’t even been on a proper date yet.”

“Why wouldn’t she break up with me?” Regina caught herself twisting her hands together and clamped down on them. “I don’t exactly know how to love very well.”

“Oh, Little One.” Mal stood and circled around her desk to stand in front of Regina. She gently cupped the younger woman’s chin. “It’s true you’ve never had any good role models in that regard, but your capacity to love is boundless.”

“How can you say that? I’ve never loved anyone.”

Mal gave Regina a gentle smile that was reserved for only her and Lily. “That’s just not true. What about your father?”

Regina scoffed. “He doesn’t count.”

“You love me, don’t you?”

She fidgeted; it wasn’t something they talked about. “Yes.”

“And Lily.”

Regina grudgingly nodded.

“Graham.”

“Graham and I have been through a lot together,” Regina argued. “It doesn’t mean-”

“You do,” Mal countered. She could deny it all she wanted but Mal knew Regina would rip the heart out of anyone that hurt Graham. “And let’s think, how exactly was it that Emma came to be in our lives?”

Regina glared at her. “Ruby asked me to save her.”

“You could have said no.”

“To Ruby?” she scoffed. “That would have been like kicking a puppy. Even I’m not that cruel.”

“My point is that you have more people in your life that you care about _and_ that care about you in return than you may think.” Mal leaned back against her desk. “Emma already cares about you. It’s evident every time she looks at you.” Mal saw the small smile that pulled at the corner of Regina’s mouth before she ducked her head. “ _Talk_ to her.”

Regina sighed, then nodded. “I will.”

“Good. Now, speaking of Emma, there’s something else you should know.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_“Regina, dear,” Mal greeted her as she rose from the table, “thank you for coming. I know it was rather short notice.”_

_“Not at all.” Regina accepted the air kisses to her cheeks before eyeing the slender brunette still seated at the table._

_“Allow me to introduce you to my daughter,” Mal said, barely able to withhold her pleasure at the words. “Regina, this is Lily Page.”_

_“Victor of the 57 th Games.” Regina extended her hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”_

_Lily scoffed, “Yeah, I’m sure it is.”_

_Regina glanced at Mal and withdrew her hand. The Dragon looked nervous and gestured that they should both take their seats. “You’ll have to forgive Lily,” Mal tried. “She isn’t exactly fond of the Capitol.”_

_“The only reason I’m here is because the two kids from my district needed a mentor and I’m the freshest meat they’ve got. Not that they stand a chance or anything,” Lily practically snarled, then took a healthy drink from a tumbler of warm brown liquid. “They’ll be dead in two days time as soon as that gong sounds.” She glared around for the waiter. “So, you tell me why I should be happy to be here.”_

_“Well, we do have good liquor,” Regina said dryly, lifting her own glass in salute._

_Lily smirked at her over her refilled drink. “I’m surprised they let you drink, Princess.” She leaned back in her seat, eyeing the girl that was practically her same age. “Then again, I guess after they publicly see you bedded, they may as well let you have some liquor.”_

_Regina felt the blood rise in her cheeks; she heard Mal say her daughter’s name but it was without censure. Mal was still walking on eggshells around Lily unsure if the girl would accept her._

_“I met Graham,” Lily said coldly, eyeing Regina, “during my…tour. He didn’t say much, not a big talker that one, but then, he didn’t have to say anything at all, did he? Your society debut was all over the news feeds.”_

_Regina was seething at the girl’s comments. Her love for Mal was the only thing holding her back from wielding her own scalpel of words._

_“You know the picture I liked best,” Lily continued, “was the one of you and Graham heading back up the stairs to your bedroom with everyone standing around applauding.”_

_Regina knew exactly what picture she was referring to. Her mother had it framed and hanging in her office. Not because it was of Regina’s society debut, but because Cora was standing at the base of the stairs with three district mayors and Rumplestiltskin, Victor of the 15 th Hunger Games. _

_“I’m surprised they didn’t hang your bloody sheets out the window after the deed was done to prove-”_

_Lily was finally shut up when the glass of red wine that Regina had been drinking was thrown in her face. Regina was on her feet, breath heaving in her chest. Half the restaurant had gone silent, staring at the commotion, wondering how they could profit from it._

_For her part, Lily wiped a hand down her face and chuckled, “Brand damn new shirt too.”_

_“Mal, I will not apologize-”_

_Mal waved her off. “I don’t blame you at all, Little One.” She stood and gently took the empty glass from Regina’s hand. She spoke to Regina as she glared at Lily. “She deserved more than that. I admire your restraint.”_

_Lily laughed again, causing both women to look at her. “That was restrained?” She shook out a cigarette from a silver case engraved with a dragon; a gift from Mal that she’d actually accepted. “I like you, Mills.”_

_“You what?!” Surely, she hadn’t heard that right._

_“And you,” Lily exhaled smoke towards Mal. “Glad to see you finally got some balls on you. I thought I was going to have murder your pet pony before you showed some real emotion.” She kicked out Regina’s chair. “Come on, sit down and stay awhile. Let everyone else here FUCK OFF back to their own business.”_

_She said the last part loud enough that most of the other customers quickly turned away, pretending to go back to their own conversations. Regina looked to Mal; they were both a bit shocked and confused. Mal gave a small shrug. “You don’t have to stay.”_

_Regina glanced at Lily who cocked an eyebrow in challenge; she wasn’t the type to offer niceties more than once. “I think I’ll stay.” Regina motioned to the waiter. “I’ll need a fresh glass, and you can leave the bottle.”_

_Lily grinned. “Your mom may be a real piece of work, but you’re all right, Mills.”_

_Regina waited until her glass was full and the waiter retreated. “I’m not sure what you think you know about my mother,” she sipped her drink, relishing the burn, “but I’m sure it’s all true.”_

_Lily frowned a bit then looked to Mal. “She doesn’t know?”_

_“Know what?” Regina asked, also looking to Mal._

_Under the gaze of both women she considered to be daughters, Mal gracefully draped her napkin across her lap. “There hasn’t been a good time to mention it.”_

_Lily chuckled again, “Damn, Mal.”_

_Mal glared at her daughter then took Regina’s hand that was on the table. “I’m sorry, Little One, I was going to tell you under different circumstances.”_

_“Tell me what?” Regina demanded._

_Lily dropped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Cora Mills is the bitch that kidnapped me as a baby.”_


	7. Play by the Rules

When Regina returned home from her visit to Mal’s office, she was surprised her father wasn’t at the door to greet her. She opened the closet to hang up her jacket and noticed Emma’s red leather jacket hanging inside and her boots stacked neatly together. A smile came unbidden to Regina’s face, knowing Emma was there immediately brightened her day. The blonde was a day early for their official weekend together, but neither of them were really keeping track of scheduled visits anymore. Emma was usually there and if she wasn’t, Regina had simply to ask and she would come around.

Regina made her way to the kitchen, not at all surprised to find Emma and her father standing on opposite sides of the island, eating snacks. “I should have known I’d find you in here.”

“Regina, dear, I didn’t hear you come in,” Henry said, quickly wiping crumbs off his hands.

“I know,” Regina said, kissing him on the cheek in greeting. She smirked when Emma stuck her cheek out for a hello kiss as well. She obliged. “When did you arrive?”

Emma grinned and went back to slicing cheese squares. “A couple of hours ago.” She handed the cheese over to Henry who was placing them neatly on a charcuterie board. “How was work?”

Because, of course, that’s where they assumed she had been. Some board meeting or business luncheon. Not pouring her heart out to Mallory. “Fine.” She glanced at her father. “We’re getting ten new horses at the stables.”

“Oh?” The only part of their family holdings that Henry was ever interested in was the ranch. “Racing stock?”

“A few of them.” She snuck a piece of the spicy sausage off the board.

Emma swiped at the cold cuts thief. “Ruby is coming over and we’re going to have movie night. So go finish your work calls, put on your comfier clothes, and join us.”

She looked over the jeans and t-shirt Emma was wearing and knew she’d be in a tank top and sweats for movie night. “We have an awards ceremony to attend tomorrow evening.” When Emma looked up, appearing guilty, Regina rolled her eyes. “If you didn’t bring anything suitable to wear, we’ll go shopping in the morning.”

The blonde pouted. She didn’t _hate_ shopping but she didn’t enjoy it either. She noticed Henry discretely escaping the kitchen and talk of shopping. Traitor. “Can’t I just borrow something of yours?”

“No.” Emma had broader shoulders and more muscular thighs than Regina. The last time she’d borrowed something she’d stretched the fabric terribly.

“Fine,” Emma grumbled. “Will there be anyone there that I know?”

Regina started to answer but Emma cut her off.

“Wait, scratch that,” she said. “Will there be anyone there that I _like_?”

That narrowed down the possibilities. “Killian probably, maybe Mal,” Regina said. Probably Finnick but Emma never seemed as charmed by him as everyone else. “A few of the other victors I’m sure.”

“We should sit close to Mal. She hates these events more than I do,” Emma laughed. She enjoyed the muttered running commentary Mal provided.

“Speaking of Mal,” Regina started, “she says you missed an event last week that you were expected to attend.”

Emma looked up. “I did?”

“A dinner in District 9 to promote the new growing season.”

“Oh yeah.” She went back to her slicing. “Yeah, that sounded boring as hell, forgot all about it.”

Regina reached out and placed her hand over Emma’s, stilling them. “Emma, you can’t just brush off events like that. Your absence was noticed.”

“Who could possibly care if I wasn’t there to promote a new strain of grain?”

“Everyone who was expecting to see three victors and only saw two,” Regina said, “but more importantly, they noticed you breaking the rules of the game.”

Emma’s head cocked to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Emma, you are no longer a novice to the way the Capitol works. You know you are a player in this game now and you know it never ends.” She gripped the blonde by the chin. “If they think you are defying them, there will be consequences.”

“Okay.” She would have agreed to anything in that moment. Regina’s brown gaze locked unwaveringly on hers. “You are so beautiful when you have that concerned look in your eyes.” She chuckled as Regina ripped her hand away. “ _And_ when you’re glaring at me like you want to kill me.”

“You are not taking this seriously enough,” Regina growled. “The Capitol does not play around. It has a very specific image it wants to maintain.” She pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass. “You have to keep within the lines.”

“Yeah, well, maybe the colors _need_ to bleed outside the lines a little bit. That picture perfect world they promote may exist here in the Capitol, but the districts aren’t quite as well off.”

Regina took two strides and shoved Emma’s shoulder, pushing her back, catching her off guard. “Never speak like that!” she hissed, her finger in Emma’s face. “I don’t care where you are. You keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself. Do you understand me?”

“Geez, yeah okay,” Emma said, rearing back. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just thinking out loud.”

“Well, don’t.”

Emma held up her hands and waited until Regina backed off. “I’m sorry, okay.”

Regina ripped open a drawer and pulled out a corkscrew. She shook her head. “I’m trying to protect you, Emma, but you make it so difficult sometimes.” She pulled out the cork. “Despite my earlier metaphor, the president doesn’t play games. If you defy him, he will crush you.” The red liquid sloshed into the bowl of the glass. “And he won’t do it by coming after you. He’ll go after the people you care about.”

Emma straightened. “But you’re like one of the most powerful people in Panem, right? He can’t do anything to you, can he?”

_She_ was the first person Emma’s concern went to? Because Emma cared about her. Maybe Mal hadn’t been so far wrong in her claims, after all. “I’ll be…” It was on the tip of Regina’s tongue to say she’d be fine, but she was trying to impress upon Emma how important this was. Instead, she said, “Even powerful people can be hurt. If you don’t believe me, ask Mal why Lily was kidnapped as a baby.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_After Lily’s bomb drop of a revelation, Regina tried to ask questions. She wanted details, but Mal had quickly silenced her, insisting they would talk about it elsewhere. Somewhere a lot more private. Dinner conversation had then switched to more banal topics and although Lily had agreed with Mal that they shouldn’t discuss her troubled start in life, she quickly grew bored. As soon as the last course was finished, Lily departed. She indulged Mal in a quick hug and with a wink she swatted Regina’s backside and left for a more exciting locale._

_“I apologize for Lily’s behavior,” Mal said, shedding her jacket upon entering her home._

_Regina followed her in and shut the door behind her. “It’s all right.” She dropped her clutch on the side table. “It’s not like you got a chance to raise her, after all.”_

_“Hmmm.” Mal gestured for Regina to follow her to the study. “Despite her rough edges, I do think the two of you could be friends, and I don’t mind admitting that partially terrifies me.”_

_Regina knew she and Lily were about the same age as different as their lives had been. “I’m sure we could’ve been quite the little hellions growing up together.”_

_“If you had met, you would have been fast friends.” Mal closed the door to the study and locked it. At Regina’s raised eyebrow, she merely shrugged. “Can’t be too careful.” She took the top off the whiskey decanter and turned over two glass tumblers. “But I doubt I would have ever let you two meet. I was never fond of your mother, and the only reason I was so drawn to you was because you reminded me of my lost little girl.”_

_Regina accepted the tumbler that was handed to her. “Another loss for Lily then,” she said, taking a seat in an overstuffed chair. “I got you and she didn’t.”_

_Mal settled herself across from Regina. She sipped the whiskey and eyed the young woman. “I suppose this is when I tell you my sordid tale.”_

_“I’d like to know,” Regina admitted. “Especially since my mother is involved.”_

_“In Cora’s defense,” Mal almost choked on the words but felt they needed to be said, “I don’t think it was personal. I think it was simply a sound business decision on her part.” There. That was as fair as anyone could expect her to be. “I had started to gain a real foothold in the growing interests of District 5, and when you gain power you gain enemies. My District 5 acquisitions were well known. My gaining interests in other districts much less so. Or so I believed._

_“Because of my contacts, I knew that the largest ranch in District 10 was about to come up for auction. The owner had made some poor business decisions and was going to have to sell it off bit by bit. I made him a better offer, an offer that would keep the property whole for me and allow him to live in moderate comfort out in the districts instead of the slums of the Capitol. He accepted.”_

_“But the Mills Ranch is the largest ranch in District 10,” Regina said. “It has been as long as I can remember.” It had been where she met Daniel. “Please don’t tell me my mother kidnapped your child just to secure a ranch.”_

_“I’m sure it wasn’t just the ranch,” Mal said, swirling her drink. “You see, as I was gaining interest in the districts, I was also beginning to see life outside of the Capitol and my district. I was beginning to see that life in the districts wasn’t nearly as glamourous as the Capitol made out. All those news stories they show of people choosing to live and work in the districts; how they all love their lives and are thankful for the work they have? Ever notice how people in Districts 1 and 2 are the only ones that truly seem excited in those broadcasts? Ever see how the camera work in the outer districts is always from a long-distance view with only the mayors speaking on camera?”_

_Regina swallowed hard. “I can’t say that I’ve noticed.”_

_“No. Most haven’t. Most never will.” Mal took a deep drink. “I started talking about it at parties or lunches, mentioning it here and there, wondering if anyone else noticed. When I toured districts, I tried asking how working conditions were. I was always assured by the managers that everything was fine, but I saw the looks of the workers as I passed by. I saw the questioning glances when I asked anything out of the ordinary. I was curious; maybe there was a better way to do things._

_“In hind sight, I missed the danger signs. I didn’t accurately read the room; I didn’t heed the warnings. A few people tried to tell me not to rock the boat, not to buck the Capitol’s way of doing things. Rumple was the most adamant; he’d been raving for years that the Capitol had killed his precious Belle because he’d refused to take a picture with President Ravinstill. No one believed him, of course, her death had simply been a terrible accident.” She paused. “He was kind enough to never say he told me so.”_

_Regina found herself leaning forward. “What happened?”_

_“I was attending a district dinner. When I came home…I found the front door standing open.” She swallowed thickly, thinking back to the dread she felt that night. “A front door left standing open was practically a Ravinstill calling card. Everyone knew what that meant. I ran inside.” She stood and walked to the window; the images from that night were still fresh as if they’d happened yesterday. “I found the Nanny, dead on the floor. And I found the note inside the crib.”_

_“What did it say?” Regina asked, prompting her when the silence drew too long._

_Mal took a deep breath. “If you ever want to see your child again, stop asking questions. The Capitol runs the districts.” She refilled her tumbler with whiskey and emptied half of it in one drink. “So, I played nice.” She returned to her seat across from Regina. “I toed the line, praised the Capitol, and hoped beyond hope it would be enough.”_

_“But you sent out investigators of your own, right? You looked for Lily?”_

_Mal couldn’t look at her. “No.”_

_“What?” Regina asked, shocked._

_“I felt that investigating on my own would be the same as asking questions. I believed, and still do, that if I had launched a search for her, she would have been killed immediately.” She shrugged a little. “And no one would have helped anyway. Everyone would have been too in fear for themselves if word got out that they helped me._

_“So, I waited, but my Starla…Lily,” she corrected herself, “was never returned to me. Your mother was given a very lucrative government contract and sole ownership of the ranch in District 10. The timing of it was suspect, but I was drowning too deep in my grief to give it much thought at the time.” Her grip tightened on the crystal tumbler. “It wasn’t until years later, I began to carefully put the pieces together. Trace the money so to speak.”_

_“And it traced back to my mother? You have proof?”_

_“Well, she didn’t do the deed herself,” Mal admitted, “but she planned, coordinated, and funded it; the kidnapping and care for the child for the duration. Lily was actually supposed to be returned to me if I proved myself obedient. I imagine Ravinstill wanted to show that good behavior begets rewards. It wasn’t until last year when I finally talked with Lily that I found out how it all went sideways.”_

_“And?”_

_“Lily grew up in a home with a single woman until she was around the age of six. Shortly after her sixth birthday, the woman who was raising her got sick. Lily remembers one of the last things the woman said to her before dying was that she had sent word to Cora.” Mal sipped her drink. “Lily had no idea who that was, but a few hours later, she heard two men entering the house. As any child would do, Lily hid. She said the men cursed when they found the woman dead and tore through the house calling for Lily. She remembers staring at their shoes next to her hiding place and one of them saying that, Ms Mills wasn’t going to be happy if they didn’t find the brat. Then they left and she was on her own.”_

_“Remarkable memory for a six-year-old,” Regina commented dryly._

_Mal’s eyes flashed. “You doubt her?”_

_“Do I doubt that my mother could be capable of something so awful? No, not for a second,” Regina said, trying to appease Mal. “Do I doubt that a six-year-old would remember word for word what was said?” She wobbled her hand from side to side._

_“She was in a highly emotional state at the time; memories tend to form more permanently under such conditions,” Mal grunted in acknowledgment. “ **And** when I met Lily, even though I had my suspicions, I’m not the one that brought up Cora Mills. Lily **asked** me. Did I know someone named Cora or someone named Mills?” _

_Regina inclined her head. “Fair enough.” She hesitated, then said, “I’m surprised you haven’t killed my mother.”_

_“I’ve always said that if I ever found out who kidnapped my baby girl, I would kill them,” Mal agreed. “Actually, I wanted to ruin them and **then** kill them.” She sighed. “But then fate threw you into the mix.”_

_“Me?”_

_“I can’t very well ruin Cora Mills without ruining you as well,” Mal grumbled then saluted with her glass. “Luckily, you turn eighteen and take control of your financial assets in the next few months.”_

_Regina knocked back the last of her whiskey and stood to pour herself some more. Casual discussion of the murder of her mother called for more liquor. “What does Lily think?”_

_“She wants to be the one to do it,” Mal said plainly, “but I’d rather she not be involved.”_

_Regina poured two fingers worth into her glass and drank it. Then she poured two more. It bothered her that she **wasn’t** bothered by the idea that Mal was going to murder her mother. Clearly, the bitch had it coming. _

_Mal was watching her closely. “Do you want to know ahead of time?” Offering to not kill Cora was not an option she was willing to extend. “Give yourself time to prepare?”_

_Regina turned and leaned back against the liquor cabinet. “No. I think I should be as surprised as anyone.”_

_“Very well.” Mal raised her glass in salute. “Here’s to daughters being better than their mothers.”_


	8. Making it Clear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey look the rating changed. That being said the end scene of this chapter is not my forte in writing so forgive me if it's not great. As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you continue to enjoy.

“So, you and Regina looked awfully cozy the other night.”

“What?” Emma was panting, she hated running, but Ruby had dragged her out of bed to do laps at the track. The track being a dirt circle outside the District schoolhouse that was generally used for punishment. Mouthed off to the teacher? Go run laps.

She had just finished telling Ruby about young Henry, the orphan boy she’d volunteered for, starting a school newspaper. He was a flourishing writer and despite it not being a useful skill in District 8, she was hoping to get a few samples of his writing to the right people in the Capitol. She figured she might as well use her celebrity for something worthwhile.

“Movie night,” Ruby reminded, easily loping alongside her as though she was simply humoring Emma’s pace. “Your head in Regina’s lap almost the entire time. She fed you popcorn.”

Emma grinned at the reminder; it _had_ been a good night. Regina had played with her hair, running her fingers through it, lightly scratching her scalp, for over an hour. She couldn’t even say what the movie had been about. The abrupt change of subject had thrown her for a second, but she still wasn’t going to give Ruby the details she was hoping for. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ruby shoved her, making her stumble. “I was in the same room if you remember. I saw what I saw.”

“Then you don’t need me to tell you about it,” Emma laughed. “Not that I could anyway, remember? Non-disclosure.”

Ruby rolled her eyes and picked up her pace, making the blonde lose her smile. They ran several more laps before Emma finally called it quits. Ruby picked up the towel she left hanging on the fence as Emma plopped down on the grass and began stretching. “I’m glad to see it.” Emma looked up at her but didn’t ask. “Regina is happy around you. Maybe the most relaxed and happiest I’ve ever seen her.”

Emma went back to her stretch. “I think she’s trying.”

“Trying?”

“To be more open?” She pulled out of her stretch and hopped up. “I think she wants to try and be with me, but she isn’t sure how.”

Ruby considered that, found no fault in it. “And what about you?”

Emma shrugged. “You know how I feel about her.”

They started walking off the school grounds. “I know, but does she?”

“Lily says she pointed it out to Regina.”

“Yeah, but have _you_ told her?” Ruby asked. “Have you, Emma Swan, specifically, made it unmistakably clear to Regina how you feel? Cause if you haven’t, Regina can be as obtuse as a brick wall when it suits her.”

“I don’t want to pressure her,” Emma hedged.

Ruby scoffed and shook her head. “Gods, the two of you are made for each other.”

They turned down the street, headed for the Victor’s Village. Emma changed the subject. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well, I can’t turn on the news these days without seeing you on the arm of some Capitol socialite at some fancy event or another. It’s usually a different man or woman each time,” Emma said. “Aren’t you going through them a little fast?”

Ruby sobered. “Well, I’m no longer under the Mills Protection Plan, Emma. A girl’s got to make her way in this world.”

Emma caught Ruby by the arm, pulling her to a stop. “Our yearly salary from the Capitol is more than enough money to last multiple lifetimes. What’s going on?”

“It’s not always about money, Ems,” Ruby said, looking away. “Sometimes, it’s about looking after the people you care about.”

_“He’ll go after the people you care about.”_

Regina’s words rang in Emma’s ears. “Granny’s accident was no accident, was it?”

A dark look shadowed Ruby’s eyes. Her Granny, the only living relative Ruby had in the world, lived with her in the Victor’s Village. A few weeks earlier, the old woman that was tougher than anyone Emma had met in the Capitol, had slipped and fell on the back steps of their house, breaking a hip and hitting her head. Ruby found her unconscious. Granny claimed that she didn’t remember a thing.

“Two days before she fell,” Ruby started, “I turned down an invitation to have dinner at some guy’s house. Some high-up cabinet member that works for President Snow.” She sighed, “He offered me anything I wanted, but I thought he was a creep and told him so.” She started walking again. “Then Granny slips on a patch of ice.”

“Ice?” Emma asked, hurrying to keep up with her long-legged friend. “It’s barely September.”

“Exactly,” Ruby said, “but I know what I saw on those stairs.” Then she shrugged it off and plastered on a fake smile. “But hey, the way they keep wining and dining me, soon I’ll have enough to get that penthouse in the Capitol I’ve always wanted.”

Emma slowed as they passed under the archway to their tract of houses. Ruby threw her a nonchalant wave and headed towards her house. Emma watched her friend go and thought about how Ruby had never mentioned before about wanting to live in the Capitol. She saw the door to Ruby’s house open and Granny stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on a cane. Emma waved to her and the old woman nodded back.

_“He’ll go after the people you care about.”_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few weeks later, Regina wasn’t surprised to notice there was a fire going in the front room when she got home. The 69th Hunger Games had started a few hours earlier, and Emma had made it a habit to show up at the mansion afterwards. Regina slipped out of her heels and left her clutch on the table near the door; she began removing her earrings as she made her way to the front room.

Emma sat on the couch, a glass of cider in one hand, her head tilted back on the couch cushions, eyes closed. Regina watched her for a moment before entering. “How are you?”

Emma didn’t raise her head or even open her eyes. “The 13-year-old son of a tailor and the 15-year-old daughter of a school teacher.” She raised her glass in salute to her district’s fallen tributes. “They never stood a chance.”

“They made it out of the bloodbath,” Regina offered, knowing it wasn’t much.

“Oh, yes, much better to drown in a bed of quick sand or be stung to death by a scorpion-mutt.” Emma sat up and scrubbed a hand over her face. She finally looked at Regina, took in the gunmetal-blue gown that left her shoulders bare and clung to her hips. “You look nice.”

“Thank you.” She stood in front of Emma and ran her fingers through the woman’s blonde curls. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nope.” Emma slowly stood, her hands smoothing up from Regina’s hips until she was able to cup her face. “I’m done talking.” She leaned forward and gently kissed Regina. “I want to go upstairs with you.”

Regina placed a hand on Emma’s chest. “Emma-”

“No, no, no,” Emma kissed her again, effectively cutting her off. “Hear me out, please. I’m tired of talking.” She kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’m tired of talking about the games. I’m tired of talking about us. I want there to _be_ an us.”

Yes, they had kissed before. They’d even had a few enjoyable make out sessions, but Regina had been moving them slow. “Emma, you’ve had a rough few days. I don’t know that tonight is-”

Emma shook her head. “If anything, the past few days have reminded me that life is precious. We can’t let our possibilities pass us by, and I want you, Regina.” She began tracing kisses over Regina’s jawline. “I want to be with you tonight. I want to wake up with you in the morning.”

Regina tilted her head, exposing her neck further to Emma. “That sounds…nice.”

Emma hummed. “I want to unzip this dress and slowly peel it off you. I want to worship you.” She nibbled at the exposed collarbone before nuzzling back into Regina’s neck. The hand cupped around the back of her head held her close despite Regina’s words of resistance. “I want to make love to you. I want to hold you and be held.”

Regina wasn’t a soft, make love kind of woman. No matter how much she loved hearing Emma say that or how her insides warmed and twisted at the thought. “And what about tomorrow?”

“Tonight, I want comfort; I want love.” Emma straightened, her gaze meeting and holding Regina’s. “Tonight, I want to forget there is anything outside of you and me. And tomorrow,” she licked her lips, gaze lowering to Regina’s mouth briefly, “tomorrow, I want to fuck you.” She nipped Regina’s bottom lip.

“I want to watch you get ready for work while I lay naked in your bed. I want your hair and makeup to be perfect before I catch you when you try to leave. I’ll slam your back against the door and ruin your perfect lipstick.” She felt more than saw the way Regina sucked in a breath. She saw the brown eyes dilate to black pools. “I’m going to let you get dressed just so I can rip your clothes off, but you’re not one to be taken. You’ll grab me by the throat and force me back, reminding me that you’re in charge.” She pulled Regina against her, closing all remaining space between them. “I want you to rail me from behind until I can’t walk straight. I want it all, Regina.” Her teeth pulled at Regina’s earlobe before she whispered, “Tonight, tomorrow, and every day after.”

Regina cleared her throat. “Let’s go upstairs, dear.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Emma was as good as her word. While Regina was normally no pillow princess, she allowed Emma all the soft touches and time she wanted. When she’d said she wanted to worship Regina, she’d taken to her acts of adoration with the interest of zealot. Regina had never felt so cared for; every inch of her skin was caressed and shown reverence. Fingertips tickled and nails lightly scratched; muscles were massaged and lips were left bruised, aching for the mouth that abandoned them.

Regina melted and twisted as the tip of Emma’s tongue traced around one breast and then the other. Teeth nipped at her abdomen and lips tasted the light sheen of sweat on her skin. Three fingers drove relentlessly inside her, wrapping her around them, chasing her at every turn, knocking down every wall she tried to hide behind. With every thrust she climbed higher; the tension in her belly tightened and grew. She keened and the blonde had the nerve to laugh.

Regina gave up her tightened grip on the sheets and found blonde hair instead. She had every intention of pulling Emma back up to her mouth, where she would face retribution, but the blonde resisted and her tongue flicked at the juncture between Regina’s thighs. A gasp was echoed by another chuckle then the grip on blonde hair changed. It no longer pulled up, instead it rather insistently tightened its grip. Emma happily dove in where it guided.

Emma curled her fingers and Regina’s hips bucked, trying desperately to get away while seeking more at the same time. Emma teased the pearl; her tongue circled and flicked, flattened and licked. She had to use her forearm to hold the older woman down as she wrapped her lips around the precious treasure and sucked.

Regina shattered. She yelled Emma’s name and slapped the bed with her free hand. She spasmed and rolled, throwing her head back against the mattress. And still the blonde continued her ministrations. She pried open the thighs that had clamped around her head and began pushing Regina’s knees up towards her head.

With effort, Regina raised her head. “Emma, what are you – FUCK!!”

Another chuckle from the blonde, one that resonated throughout Regina’s core as Emma was tongue deep inside her. Her tongue wasn’t as invasive as the fingers had been, but as overly sensitive as she still was it didn’t take much for Emma to send her over the edge again. Then Regina was truly pushing the blonde head away from her, trying to slow her racing heart and bring her legs back down to the bed.

Emma sat up on her knees at the foot of the bed, face wet, grinning. She happily flopped down beside the brunette when Regina gestured for her to join her. They lay beside each other, breaths slowly returning to normal. Regina stared at the ceiling fully aware that Emma was choosing to watch her instead.

When she was sure her heart could take it, Regina turned towards the blonde. She reached over, brushing back some of the now wildly tangled blonde hair from Emma’s face. “I’m afraid, dear that I’m going to have to ruin part of your fantasy.”

Emma frowned for a second then smirked. “Too tired? Did I wear you out, your majesty?”

Regina smirked as well; that might be one nickname she could learn to live with. “Quite the contrary, actually.” She rolled over the blonde and pinned her arms to the mattress. “There’s no way I’m waiting until morning to…oh, how did you phrase it?” She lowered her head until their lips were almost touching. “I believe you said you wanted me to rail you from behind until you couldn’t walk straight.”

Emma gulped, nodded. “Uh huh.”

Regina claimed Emma’s mouth with her own, her tongue stroking in to take control and leave no misunderstandings about who was in charge. When she pulled back, she nipped Emma’s lip just hard enough to make it bleed. “My turn.”


	9. From the Shadows

Surprisingly, Emma was enjoying herself. Killian had promised her good food, music, and a fun evening in his district, and so far, he’d delivered. Her only regret was that Regina hadn’t come with her. District Four’s Seafood Festival didn’t quite reach Regina’s level of notice even if Emma thought Regina would secretly enjoy herself at it. After being together for almost seven months, she knew Regina hid a lot of herself from everyone, but Emma was slowly learning.

The festival was clearly an event that was loved by locals, but for herself and others that could afford to travel, it was a real draw for people from outside the district as well. Charming and Snow White joined Emma and Killian at their picnic table while live music played across the square as they drank and talked, picking apart and eating the festival’s scrumptious shellfish. Okay, the eating with hands thing Regina probably wouldn’t enjoy, Emma thought as she sat back from the table, toying with her half-drunk beer.

Killian saw some lady-love that he wanted to pursue and left their table with a wink. “Don’t wait up.”

Emma rolled her eyes and Charming threw a bread roll at his head. He missed but Mags caught it as she was walking by. She shook her finger warningly at Charming before placing a kiss on Emma’s head and blowing a kiss to Snow White. Mags gestured towards the row of vendors lined up along the path.

“We’ll be sure to stop by before we leave,” Snow assured her. At Emma’s questioning glance, she explained, “Mags has a crafts booth in the vendors area; all of her profits go to the local orphan’s shelter.”

“She makes the best lures you could ever want,” a female voice said from behind Emma’s shoulder.

“Lures?” Emma asked unfamiliar with the word. She turned around to find a woman she didn’t know tucked into the side of Finnick Odair. It wasn’t an unusual sight. Every time she saw him, he was with someone different. And yet, there was something different about him tonight. “Odair.”

“Swan.” He nodded back. They were always cordial to each other but never overly friendly.

The woman at his side however, lit up at his greeting, “You’re Emma Swan!” She playfully slapped Finnick on the chest. “You never told me you were friends with her.” She turned back to Emma. “I’m a big fan. I mean, I know the games are awful, but you volunteering for that boy in your district.” She put her hand over her heart. “I was so happy when you won.”

Finnick cleared his throat and looked as uncomfortable as Emma felt. “Emma, may I introduce Annie Cresta.”

Emma stood up and shook hands with the girl. “Nice to meet you.” She seemed nice enough, a bit innocent perhaps, but sweet. She glanced at Finnick. “She seems like too nice of a girl for you, Finnick.”

“She is.” A glint flashed in his eyes, warning Emma to back off. “I certainly don’t deserve her.”

Emma realized then why he looked different to her. The glint of danger was the man she usually saw in the Capitol, but tonight, it was probably the first time she’d ever seen him look his age, and he appeared happy. Not his fake-Capitol smile that he brandished at every camera that was put in his face, but a lighter and more care-free expression. A true smile. Maybe she and Finnick had more in common than she’d realized.

“You deserve more than me,” Annie said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “But you’re mine, anyway. You’ll never be able to get rid of me.”

“I would never try,” he said, dropping a kiss to her head. “You’re mine, now and forever.”

“Now and forever,” she beamed back at him.

“She’s so good for him,” Snow sighed as Finnick and Annie departed, making their way over to the band area where they started dancing together. “Such a cute couple.”

“Almost as cute as us,” Charming said, draping his arm around Snow. They nuzzled their noses against each other.

Emma drained the last of her beer and gathered up her plate full of discarded shells. “I’m going to find Killian,” she muttered, wanting to get away from the sight of the cutesy couple. As much as she loved Regina, she knew they would never be that kind of couple and she was glad. Most people didn’t even know they were actually together.

She dumped her trash into a bin, wiped her hands clean on a wet wipe, and bought another beer. She’d said she was going to find Killian, but she doubted she wanted to see what he was up to anymore than she wanted to watch Snow and Charming together. Instead, she started to slowly make her way around the vendor stalls that had been set up to sell their wares.

She found Mags’ stall and finally learned that lures were used for fishing. Apparently, their bright, flashy, twirly bits attracted fish. Emma bought five.

And that’s when she met him.

“Do a lot of fishing in District 8?” a smooth male voice asked from over her shoulder.

All the social gatherings that Regina dragged her around to had made her accustomed to strangers trying to make small talk with her. But she never got used to people getting so close to her. “None at all,” Emma said, turning around to find a handsome, dark-skinned man that she immediately stepped back from. She tossed one of the lures she just bought to a kid that was walking by; the boy’s face immediately lit up at the unexpected treasure. Emma returned her attention to the man still standing entirely too close to her. “And you are?”

“Baron Facilier.” The man flourished with a bow at his waist. “Enchante.”

Emma rolled her eyes and glanced over to Mags; she was surprised to see the old woman glaring at the dark man. That was enough reason for Emma to be wary of him. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

He straightened, beamed a smile at Mags which did not change her disposition. “Might I have a moment of your time, Savior?”

She had absolutely no desire to be alone with the man, but since there was no graceful way to refuse, she nodded, “Sure.”

They walked a few steps down the path, moving towards the shadows. Emma sized him up; she didn’t really think he’d be stupid enough to try anything with her, but a girl couldn’t be too careful. She stopped while still in full view of the festival shops. “What can I do for you, Mister Facilier?”

He flashed a smile as though he knew exactly why she stopped. “Doctor, actually.” She arched an eyebrow but didn’t bother correcting herself. He seemed to deflate slightly. “And, it’s really all about what _I_ can do for _you_.”

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, her half-drunk beer bottle hanging from her fingers. “I don’t want you to do anything for me.”

“Now, now.” He shook a finger at her. “That sounds like Regina talking.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed and her grip on the bottle tightened. “You know Regina?”

“Our paths have crossed,” he said, a bitter note in his voice.

Emma smirked, “Regina turned you down flat, didn’t she?”

“Hardly.” His gentleman’s façade briefly fell, before he waved her off and regrouped. “But I’m not here to talk about her. I’d rather talk about _you_. Don’t you think it’s about time you started taking some power of your own in this world?” He was encouraged when she didn’t immediately deny him. “I can help you with that.”

“Let me guess,” Emma said, “you’ve got friends in high places?”

“Better,” he said. “I’ve got friends in all _sorts_ of places. As we both know, it isn’t just the people in high places that get you somewhere in this world.” He leaned in closer to her. “Sometimes you need the people in the shadows.”

She leaned away from him but didn’t give up her ground. “What do you want, Doctor?”

He grinned. “I’m going to be the mayor of this District soon; one of the last districts with any _real_ freedom.” He gestured broadly in the direction of the coast line. “I could help you carve out a place for yourself here, start to gain some real capital.”

“I think you have enough Victors living here that you don’t need to import me.”

“Pfftt,” he scoffed. “No interest, no ambition, too old. Worried about their ship or their love, nothing of interest for me there. But you,” he made a flourishing gesture with his hands, “you want to prove yourself. You’re tired of living on the margins.” His eyes seemed to glitter. “After all, you do want to be more than just Regina’s pet, don’t you?”

That label used to bother her, but she knew Regina didn’t view her that way and other people’s opinions mattered very little to her anymore. What she found amusing was that this so-called doctor thought he could use Regina against her. She chuckled, “We’re done here. Have a good night, Doctor.”

“We’ll see each other again, Savior,” he called after her, receiving a half-assed flick of her hand as she walked away. He growled under his breath, “Our story isn’t finished yet.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Hey, do you know a Doctor Facilier?” Emma asked a week or so later as she laid on the couch, her head in Regina’s lap as the older woman read over some work papers.

The fingers that had been absently playing in her hair stilled. “Where did you hear that name?”

Emma grinned up at her; Regina was wearing her reading glasses that Emma found to be absolutely adorable. “So, you _do_ know him.”

Regina shrugged a shoulder, returning to her reading. “Our paths have crossed.”

Emma frowned. “That’s what he said.”

“You _talked_ to him?”

Emma sat up so she could see Regina better. “He approached me at the Seafood Festival in Four.”

Regina looked at her over the rim of her glasses. “What did he want?”

“I’m not sure, really,” Emma admitted. “He offered me power and a position in District 4, claimed he was going to be the mayor there soon.”

“I doubt it,” Regina scoffed. “Facilier’s influence has always been in the shadows and swamps of that district. The old beliefs of conjuring and witch doctors, the superstitions of sailors are the only thing that give him power.”

“Mags didn’t seem to like him very much.”

“Mags is a wise woman.” She picked up her papers again.

A couple of years ago, Emma wouldn’t have noticed that Regina changed the subject without answering her question. But she was wise to Regina’s ways now, and the devil on her shoulder prodded her. “So yeah, he said he knew you, sounded kind of bitter about it.” She paused long enough for Regina to say something if she wanted to; Regina shifted her papers. “I assumed it was because you had turned him down flat.” She saw the slight twitch of Regina’s eye. “He assured me you had not.”

Regina slid the top paper behind the others. “I assume you are going to arrive at a point soon.”

Emma leaned forward and pushed the papers down, forcing Regina to look up at her. She grinned, “I asked if you _knew_ him?”

“Clearly, I do.” She tried to tug her papers free only to have Emma take them away from her and drop them over the back of the couch. “Emma-”

“How _well_ do you know him?” Emma asked, sliding over until she could straddle Regina’s lap.

Regina gripped Emma’s hips, steadying her. “Well enough to kick him out of the bed.”

Emma carefully pulled the reading glasses off and set them aside. “In the morning?”

“As soon as I was finished with him.” She ignored the hands plucking open the buttons on her shirt, but the hot puff of air that hit her neck when Emma chuckled had her tilting her head back.

“Was _he_ finished?” Emma giggled, pushing open Regina’s shirt as her hands snaked beneath it.

“Do you really think I cared?” Regina caught her by the wrist when she began to undo the button on her pants. “Emma.” Amused green eyes met hers as blonde hair fell around both of them. Regina enjoyed the quick press of lips, the slight nibble on her lower lip. A free hand brushed over her breast, trying to distract her. “Emma. I am not having sex on this couch.”

Emma pouted for a second before her free hand flicked open the clasp of Regina’s bra. “I didn’t really peg you for a floor kind of girl, but I have always wanted to do it in front of a fireplace.” She straightened up and reached for the back of the couch, burying Regina’s face in her chest. “And look, you even have a fur rug that would be perfect.”

“It’s 85 degrees outside,” Regina growled, but it amused her that even after all their time together, Emma still thought her so vanilla. In her efforts to piss off her mother when she was younger, she’d christened almost every surface in the house at one point or another. “If you intend to sufficiently distract me enough to take you on the floor, you will have to be wearing fewer clothes.”

Emma pulled back, surprise widening her eyes; Regina arched an eyebrow in challenge. With a laugh, Emma ripped her shirt off over her head. The sight of the blonde’s abs was always lovely but Regina sighed, “A sports bra? Really?”

Emma slid to her feet. “Well, I wasn’t planning to seduce you tonight-”

“Clearly.” Then Regina yelped when the blonde effortlessly scooped her off the couch, carried her the few steps to the aforementioned rug, and dropped her. Regina propped herself up on her elbows. “Ouch.”

“Sorry,” Emma gave her a sheepish smile then pushed her pants down off her hips and kicked them away. “Now, where were we?”

Regina held up a hand, stopping her. She pointed to a switch on the wall. “Fireplace.”

Emma grinned, “Really?”

“Oh, yes, Ms Swan.” She arched her back letting her shirt and bra fall open. “It’s about to get _very_ hot in here.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning, Regina noticed the stack of mail left on the kitchen island as she headed for the coffee pot. She felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Her poor, suffering father. They hadn’t actually closed the door to the library last night before they’d turned it into a raging inferno, but she had found the door closed when she got up this morning. Emma had still been passed out beside her so Regina knew she hadn’t closed it. The sight of Emma with scratches down her back and bite marks purpling her skin while she laid stretched out on the dark fur almost had Regina forgetting her morning appointments. She was still mentally cataloguing which ones she could afford to postpone when she returned to the stack of mail with her coffee in hand. Most of it was nonsense, but a heavy weight, coarse square addressed to her _and_ Emma caught her attention. She recognized the presidential seal on it and set her coffee down. She thumbed it open and read the short invitation.

The Honor of Your Presence is Requested

For the Mayor’s Ball

August 29th at 8 PM

At the Presidential Palace

We will be honoring the new mayors for Districts 4 and 7

Dr. Baron Facilier and The Lady Ruel Ghorm

A personal note was attached to the back that made Regina’s blood run cold.

_Dearest Regina,_

_Your Victor, Emma Swan, has been requested as the honored guest and escort for Dr. Facilier. It will be to both of your benefit that you ensure she is available for the date and time given. I look forward to seeing you again. Give my best regards to your father._

_Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem_


	10. A Decision to Make

Emma fidgeted in the dress she was wearing for the Mayor’s Ball. It was sky blue with a full skirt and little tufts that stood straight up at her shoulders. She felt like an idiot.

An idiot and a whore.

When Regina had told her about the invitation, the resulting argument had been extreme.

_“What the hell does that mean?” Emma asked after she read the invitation and note._

_“It means that you will be Facilier’s escort for the evening.”_

_“Escort? Uh-huh. And what exactly does that entail?”_

_“It entails exactly what you imagine it entails,” Regina said, her hand in a tight fist on the counter._

_Emma remembered their first few outings together. The way she’d been mostly ignored and Regina had been praised for choosing such a beauty. “So, I’m supposed to be arm candy for him?” Emma said. “Stand beside him and look pretty.”_

_Regina grit her teeth; she didn’t like this anymore than Emma did. “Among other things.”_

_Emma froze. She’d been pacing and had her back to Regina when the comment was offered. Slowly, she looked back over her shoulder. It killed her that Regina was looking down at the counter instead of at her, but her heart was beginning to pound in her chest at the implication that was just tossed at her feet. “What **other** things?” _

_Regina exhaled heavily before looking up, her bearing hardened. “He’ll probably expect sex.”_

_Emma paled. Her recent conversation with Ruby came to mind. Images of Finnick with a different man or woman every night rushed through her mind. Killian drunkenly offering himself to the crowd years ago just to save her from pawing hands. Emma blindly reached for one of the bar stools and sat down before her legs gave out on her. “So much for the vaunted Mills Protection Plan, I guess.”_

_“I protected you as much as I could,” Regina snapped, her nails digging into the invitation, “but even I can’t deny a request from the president.”_

_“Request,” Emma huffed out a sad chuckle. “Guess that makes you my pimp.”_

_“Do not **ever** call me that again,” Regina ground out dangerously. _

_“Why not?” Emma threw her hands up. “It’s true, isn’t it? You’re the gatekeeper to pass me out to whoever requests me.”_

_“In case you missed it, Ms Swan, you are not the only one being threatened!”_

_“Threatened?” Emma repeated, pointing at the paper. “It says that if you whore me out, you’ll benefit from it!”_

_Regina flinched at the word whore. “Don’t be a child, Emma. If we benefit from doing it, what do you think will happen if we refuse?”_

_“So, you admit it?” Emma spat. “You **want** me to fuck Facilier.”_

_“Of course, I don’t! You are mine and I do not like sharing,” Regina said, reaching across the island to grip her by the chin. “But if you don’t…” She released her and straightened, exhaled a bit shakily. “If you refuse him…there will be consequences. For both of us.”_

_Emma wished Regina hadn’t backed away from her. She needed that grounding touch. “What kind of consequences?”_

_Regina shook her head. “I don’t know.” She threw out her cold coffee and walked out of the kitchen._

That hadn’t been their only argument about it. They’d had three months to bring it up whenever they had bad moments between them. They were both better than they should be at snarky remarks that would get under the other one’s skin. Sometimes they had fantastic, angry make-up sex after fighting about it. Sometimes it was a bit more emotional.

_“I don’t want to do it, Regina,” Emma whispered, resting her head on the older woman’s bare chest. They were both still breathing hard and she listened to the brunette’s quickened heartbeat as it began to slow. “I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”_

_“I know.” Regina kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer, needing as much skin to skin contact as she could have. “And I don’t want you to have to do it, but that’s a decision you’re going to have to make.”_

_Emma raised up slightly so she could see Regina’s face. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”_

_“I imagine they’ll try to hurt me financially,” she said, stroking the blonde’s face with her fingertips. “That’s a blow I can withstand.”_

_Emma frowned at that. “You shouldn’t have to.” She sank back down, threw her arm over Regina’s waist. “If I’m going to have to play this game on my own in the future anyway, maybe I should just go ahead and get it started.”_

_A single hot tear escaped the corner of Regina’s eye and rolled towards her hairline. “Don’t do it.”_

_Emma barely heard the whisper; she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to hear it so she didn’t respond. She stayed where she was, her hand gently stroking Regina’s hip. Then the hand that was playing in her hair tightened its grip._

_“Did you hear me? I said I don’t want you to do it,” Regina hissed. She pulled on the hair until Emma lifted her head. “I don’t want to see you on his arm; I don’t want to see his hands on you. I don’t want him to kiss you or touch you. I want you to refuse him. Do you hear me? You belong to me, not him. I don’t deserve you, but neither does he, damn it. I swear, Emma if you so much-”_

_Emma shut her up the only way she knew how. She kissed her, slammed their mouths together before Regina could say anymore. She moved her hand between Regina’s thighs and began stroking her, distracting her the best way she knew how. They moved together with urgency, their thrusts were not gentle and their kisses were wet with tears._

_It was the streaming tears on Regina’s face that had scared Emma the most. The words had been awful, but the tears are what made her decision for her. She would do whatever she had to in order to protect Regina. If she had to sleep with everyone in the Capitol, so be it._

Regina was on her third glass of champagne and they’d only been at the ball for an hour. Emma hadn’t even left her side yet. She’d been told that when Facilier arrived, she would be sent for. Until then, despite her own nerves, she was trying to keep an eye on Regina. The woman was sending out such violent, dangerous vibes that no one talked to them for more than a minute or two.

“You need to calm down,” Emma whispered as she nodded at a couple eyeing them.

“I _am_ calm,” Regina said through gritted teeth. “Never presume to think otherwise about me, Ms Swan.” She drained her glass and set it down next to a potted plant. “Besides, don’t you have somewhere else to be. Someone _else_ to annoy this evening?”

Emma rolled her eyes. Regina’s bitchiness factor had been steadily creeping up to a high volume all week. “I’m going to find you some water. Stay here.”

“Yes, pet, go fetch,” Regina sneered, “but bring back whiskey instead. I have no need for water tonight.”

Emma grabbed her by the elbow and walked to a dark corner by the stairs. She pushed Regina up against the wall and leaned in close. “Cut it out.” The brown eyes glaring back at her were furious and watery. Emma stroked her cheek. “I’m not the enemy here.”

Regina jerked her arm away from Emma’s grip and glared at her for another minute before looking away. “I know that.”

“Good.” Emma didn’t dare kiss her in public but she did find her hand and squeeze it. “You okay now?”

Regina plastered on her best politician smile. “I’m fine.” She looped her hand over Emma’s elbow. “Let’s go back to the party.”

They had no more than set foot back into the milling guests when an usher came up to them. “Ms Swan, Doctor Facilier has arrived and is awaiting you in the front study.”

“I’ll be right there,” Emma said, sending him off. She took a breath and felt Regina squeeze her hand then turn her back to her. Regina would not send her off. “Right.”

Reluctantly, Emma started to thread her way through the crowd and happened to see Lily standing arm in arm with a striking redhead. “Could I talk to you for a second?” She pulled Lily aside, the redhead glaring at her. “I need you to get Regina out of here.”

“I, uh, kind of can’t leave right now, Ems.” Her eyes cut back to the woman she’d been standing with. “Why can’t you take her home? And what’s with the dress?”

Emma sighed, realizing Lily was in the same boat as she was. “You’ll see soon enough.” She’d seen Ruby, Graham, and Killian all at the party. They were probably all under the same duress to different degrees. “What about Mal? Has she been summoned to this gathering?”

“No,” Lily said, a hint of understanding dawning. “I can give her a call. She’ll come pick up Regina.”

Emma saw the usher coming back towards her. “Thanks Lily. I owe you one.” She turned and brushed past the usher, ignoring him and headed for the front study. With a steadying breath, she swung open the doors and waltzed inside. “Sorry, I’m late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow's update gets a bit intense.


	11. Just Take Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a scene towards the end that is incredibly uncomfortable and is extremely dubious on the issue of consent.
> 
> If you don't want to read that part, stop reading when you see !!!!!

The evening had gone pretty much as expected. Facilier had tried to be charming and slick; Emma had been as polite as she could stomach. She’d taken his arm and behaved in front of others as he’d paraded her around talking with almost everyone in attendance. When more than one person asked about Regina and Facilier waved her off as unimportant, Emma began to wonder if this had been about her at all. She was beginning to suspect Facilier had simply wanted to get back at Regina.

Luckily, Lily had been good to her word and Emma hadn’t seen Regina again the entire night. Because Facilier had dragged her around to everyone, she often found herself in conversation with other victors. Ruby had sadly saluted her with her glass; she, of course, had known the whole deal after Emma had complained about it. Finnick’s knowing eyes had simply taken in Facilier with coldness before talking with Emma about the next festival District Four was hosting. He’d been on the arm of one of the best professional soccer players in Panem; Emma had always liked the guy before seeing Finnick on his arm and knowing better what deals would’ve been made for that to happen. She hoped he broke an ankle the next time he played.

Facilier also introduced Emma to President Snow. She’d met the president before when she’d won her games and then again at the culmination of her victory tour. She’d seen him from afar at several events but this was the first time they’d spoken when it hadn’t been specifically about the games.

“How lovely to see you, Ms Swan,” he said, taking her hand. “I’m pleased you accepted my request.”

“Of course,” she said, her nose itched at his heavy perfume.

“And, Ms Mills? I heard she made an appearance, but I haven’t seen her this evening.”

His eyes glittered like a snake’s. “She wasn’t feeling well,” Emma said. “I believe she had to leave early, unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately,” he repeated then smiled. “I would have liked to have seen her, but I do hope she feels better.” He stepped back. “Do let her know I missed seeing her.”

Emma swallowed, unsure if it was a threat or not. “I will. Thank you.”

He nodded, effectively dismissing them and greeting his next guest.

“It’s getting late,” Facilier said, offering Emma his elbow. “Shall we retire from the festivities?”

Emma’s stomach flip-flopped but she gave him a tight smile. “Sure.”

His smile showed too many teeth and she was fairly certain he was aware how uncomfortable she was, but he escorted her to the door and to his waiting car. He drove to the tallest property tower in the Capitol and an usher opened the car door for her. By the time she gathered up her skirt and swung her legs out, Facilier was there, offering his hand to help. Grudgingly, she took it and they went inside without further delay.

The bar beckoned as they passed it, but Facilier guided her straight to the elevator. The silence and a long ride up did absolutely nothing for her nerves; when they arrived at the penthouse, she raised an eyebrow at him.

“A gift from the president,” he said, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. “He thought I might want to stay for a few days in the Capitol before returning home.”

A glass fireplace roared to life as Emma walked past it. She slowly looked around, anything to keep from thinking about what was about to happen. She gestured towards the outside patio. “May I?”

“Of course.” He had loosened his collar and taken off his tie. Emma thought she might vomit as she escaped into the evening air.

She stood at the rail, staring out over the city long enough that she’d calmed her racing heart. She’d left the door standing open but she heard his footsteps when he joined her outside. He set a half-full glass tumbler down on the rail next to her hand. “I hope you aren’t thinking about jumping.”

“The thought had crossed my mind,” she admitted, gripping the glass, “but no. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Glad to hear it,” he said, leaning back against the doorway. “Now that we’re alone, you can drop the act.”

“Act?”

“Polite wallflower isn’t really your style, Savior.” He raised his glass in salute. “I prefer the real woman; the one I met in District 4.”

Emma drank from the glass, considering her options. How truthful could she actually be. “The real woman?” she scoffed. “The real woman you met in District 4 wouldn’t be standing here with you.”

“Is that right?” he asked, stepping out onto the patio. “I don’t seem to remember casting a spell over you, something to control your actions. You got in the car with me, you walked through the lobby by my side, and got on that elevator. It seems to me; you are here of your own accord.”

She hated that he made it sound so reasonable. She cleared her throat in an effort to relax. “Now that we’re, as you say, all alone. Why don’t you tell me the truth?”

He grinned. “Which truth might that be?”

“Why am I here?” she asked. “Why did you approach me in District 4?”

He shrugged. “You’re a beautiful woman-”

“Cut the crap,” she said, cutting him off. “I don’t think my being here has anything at all to do with me.”

His eyes glittered as his smile grew. “If not you, who?”

“Regina.”

“Hmmm, you think, I did all of this,” he gestured at the penthouse as he moved closer to her, “approached you, became mayor, and made deals with Snow just to get back at Regina?” He backed her into the corner where the shadows seemed to thicken and grow. “You think I’m going to go through all of that just to get revenge on her?”

Emma felt her back hit the wall. Her heart was thundering in her chest. “Yes.”

He leaned in, inhaling her scent as he moved along her collarbone and up her neck. “You’re trembling.”

His warm breath skated over her ear and her hands balled into fists as he lingered in her presence. She turned slightly towards him. “And you’re avoiding the question.”

Abruptly, he pulled back. He eyed her for a moment then asked, “Have you ever had your cards read, Savior?” He picked up his glass and headed towards the door. “Come inside, I want to show you something.”

Emma blinked then sucked in a shaky breath; the patio brightened as the shadows withdrew and she realized she’d been on the verge of passing out. She shook her head and grabbed her glass, downing the last of her drink. She gave her head a hard shake and was surprised to find him sitting on the couch, a deck of odd cards fanned out on the low table in front of him. She frowned and vaguely remembered Regina saying something about him and old-world beliefs.

He gestured to the seat next to him on the couch. “Come in and sit down. I want you to put your mind at ease.”

She scoffed at that but sat next to him. “Those don’t look like normal cards.”

He picked them back up and shuffled them. “They’re not.” He fanned them out to her. “Just take three.”

Reluctantly, she did. “Now what?”

He laid down the first card – Strength. “This is your past. You were a hero; you volunteered for the games.” He laid down a second card – The Lovers. “This is your present.”

Emma felt a hot wave roll over her and she glared at him. He chuckled, “No, not you and I. This is you and Regina I would imagine.”

She shook her head to deny it; she wasn’t supposed to talk about what they did together to anyone. But he seemed to know.

Facilier held up her third card – Death. “Your future.” He chuckled when her eyes widened. “Not _your_ physical death, Savior. Not anyone’s, necessarily. But it is an end to things.” He placed the card over the other two. “In the near future, something in your life, will come to an end.”

“First you tell me it isn’t really a death card but then you say something is going to end.”

“Hmmm.” He scooped up the cards and tucked them inside his jacket. “I never answered your question earlier, but you were right.” He stood and offered her his hand.

Emma stood as well, watching him carefully. “I was right?”

“Yes.” He circled behind her and pulled her back against his chest. “I am doing all of this for revenge.”

**!!!!!**

Emma sucked in a breath when he unexpectedly bit down and suckled at the spot where her collarbone met her neck. She squirmed but his grip holding her tightened, his hands spanning her rib cage. She blinked back a tear as his hot tongue laved at the spot. He hummed and smacked his lips when he finally drew away. “A perfect mark from Doctor Facilier.” His hands slid up to just under her breasts. “When Regina sees that, she’ll know I did everything to you that she feared.

“You’re trembling again.” His hot tongue traced behind her ear before he pulled on the lobe with his teeth. “Don’t worry, Savior. I won’t hurt you.” He unhooked the top snap of her dress. “Your only screams will be those of pleasure, I promise.”

“I don’t understand,” Emma managed, feeling him slowly pull down the zipper in the back.

“You see, right now, Regina is at home, imagining _all_ the things I’m doing to you.” His hand slid inside her dress, smoothing along her back, pushing material aside. “And I’m going to do all those things; I’m going to be inside you all night.” The hand inside the dress cupped her breast. “And in the morning, I’ll send you home to her, worn out, rode hard, and covered in marks from me.” He licked the fingers of his free hand, dipped it inside the front of the loosened dress and tweaked her nipple. “You’re going to enjoy what I do to you so much, you won’t be able to look her in the eye again without thinking of me.” He pulled both hands back. “And in doing that, I’ll have taken something very precious from her.”

“Or,” he drawled as he began to drag down the front of her dress, pulling it down her arms, exposing her top half completely to the cool air still coming in from the open patio door. His hands rested at her hips, his fingers sneaking beneath the material, ready to push it down her legs and off. “Or, you’re going to stop me.”

“What?” Emma couldn’t quite process what was going on anymore. Her mind was still racing over what he’d said before, knowing he was right. If she came back to Regina covered in…she’d be ashamed, and Regina…Regina would never be able to look at her the same again. She’d want to; she’d say all the right words, they both would, but… And now, he was giving her a choice? “What?”

He chuckled, his hands starting to roam again as he pressed against her. “I said,” he cupped her breasts and licked a stripe up her neck. “You can stop me.”

Emma blinked; she had resigned herself to whatever he wanted, but now he was saying he’d stop if she wanted him to. Of course, she wanted him to stop, but… “How does that get your revenge?”

“I’m so glad you asked.” His hands returned to the material bunched at her waist. “My deal with President Snow is only fulfilled if you and I consummate the relationship.” He began to push the bunched-up material down, stretching it over her ass. “If you, a victor, leave before I’m satisfied with the arrangement, the deal is incomplete.” The dress fell in a heap at her feet. “And when a deal goes unfulfilled, President Snow enacts consequences. Consequences that I’m sure will mean Regina loses something precious.” His fingers played with the scant material of her thong. “Either way, Regina loses and I win.”

Regina had said she could stand up to financial consequences, but Mal had lost Lily for fifteen years because of a president’s consequences. Granny had been seriously hurt because Ruby had turned down a guy. Finnick was in love with Annie and still went on every date that was thrown his way.

“What’s it going to be, Savior?” Facilier asked. “Stay or go?”

Regina hadn’t wanted her to go through with it. Emma didn’t want Regina to get hurt. If she stayed, it would only be her that would get hurt. Right?

“I’ll…stay.”

Facilier chuckled and ran his hand up her back. He gripped the back of her neck and pushed her forward. “Bend over the couch, Savior.” He kicked her feet further apart. “Stay right there, just like that.”

She dropped her head to her arms when she felt him pull her thong to the side. She heard him inhale and laugh again. “You’re wet, Savior. Just like I knew you would be.”

He unbuckled his belt and it was that sound that broke her.

“Stop!”


	12. Consequences

Emma slammed the knocker on the front door of the mansion three more times. It was late; it was so fucking late, but she had no clue where her keys were and she just…she needed to get inside. She needed to get out of this fucking dress, and she needed Regina to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. She needed to have a nice, sobbing break down and if Regina didn’t open this goddam door she was going to-

The door creaked open and Henry peered out at her for a brief second before swinging it wide open. “Ms Emma!” He pulled her inside. “Ms Emma, we weren’t expecting you.” He glanced towards the stairs. “I don’t think Regina was expecting you.”

She barely took in his house coat and house shoes before she sniffed and wiped her arm across her nose. “No, she wasn’t expecting me.”

“Are you,” he hesitated, “is everything all right?”

She shook her head. Sniffed again, but she couldn’t start crying, not yet. Not standing here in the foyer with Henry who had clearly gotten out of bed to let her in. “No, everything is probably not all right,” her voice broke and she shrugged helplessly, “but I came here anyway.”

He nodded serenely. “As you should.” He patted her on the arm, looked like he wanted to hug her but held himself back. “Why don’t you go on upstairs? I can bring something up for you. Warm milk? Cider?”

“No, just go back to bed.” She started towards the stairs. “I can find my way and I’m here now. I’ll be okay.”

Henry watched her climb the stairs. He wondered where her shoes were and what had happened, but he just shook his head and made his way back to bed. The best thing he could offer was to have coffee ready for them in the morning.

Emma went straight to Regina’s room. She was surprised the woman hadn’t already woken up to see what all the commotion was about. Regina was normally a light sleeper, but when Emma finally walked into the bed room she saw why. Two empty wine bottles were toppled over on Regina’s night stand. The woman herself was splayed out on the bed, passed out with one hand still reaching for the night stand. Emma sank to her knees beside the bed and ran her hand through Regina’s hair, brushing it out of her face. Tear stained mascara trails were smeared across the older woman’s cheeks. Emma leaned forward and kissed Regina on the forehead before sliding down to her butt and collapsing against the side of the bed.

She’d really needed Regina to tell her she made the right choice, but it didn’t look like she’d be getting absolution tonight.

_“Stop!” She pushed herself up from the couch. “Please, stop, I can’t do this.”_

_Facilier stepped back, chuckling. He put his hands up. “It’s stopped.”_

_“I’m sorry, I can’t…” Why the fuck was she apologizing? She grabbed up her dress from the floor. “This isn’t going to happen.”_

_He took a few more steps back then pointed down the hall. “Bathroom is the second door.”_

_Emma glanced that way then backed towards it. When he made no move towards her, simply put his hands down, she dashed towards it and locked the door behind her. She was hyperventilating, at least that’s what she thought she was doing. She couldn’t breathe; her heart was going to pump right out of her chest. She was naked. For fuck’s sake, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize herself._

_She was pale, completely bloodless in her face but her chest and neck were red and irritated. Makeup streaked with tears stained her face. She almost threw up in the sink at the sight of the mark on her collarbone; she barely caught a sob before it escaped her chest. She couldn’t start crying…not yet and definitely not here._

_She could compartmentalize; she was good at that. She needed to get dressed. She needed to get dressed, splash some water on her face, and get the fuck out of here. Okay, okay, she closed her eyes and counted to five. She filed things away in her mind for later or never if she could help it._

_It took her almost twenty minutes, but when she emerged from the bathroom, she at least appeared to have her shit together. Facilier stood at the kitchen island, sipping a drink, looking calm and composed. “I’d offer you a drink, but I don’t imagine you want to stay.”_

_“No, I think it best if I just leave.” She headed towards the door._

_“You lasted longer than he expected,” he commented, freezing her in her tracks. “I think he would’ve been very disappointed if you’d gone through with it.”_

_It was bait and she knew it, but she turned anyway. “Who?”_

_“President Snow, of course,” Facilier said._

_It didn’t make any sense. “Why would the president care?”_

_“Regina,” he said. “It all comes back to her. She’s grown too powerful for his liking.” He sipped his drink. “I think he’s been looking for a way to get her back under control. Now he has it.”_

_Emma swallowed hard. “What’s he going to do?”_

_Facilier grinned. “Send her a message, I’m sure.”_

Gingerly getting to her feet, Emma picked up the empty wine bottles and discarded them. With a bit of tugging and maneuvering, she managed to get Regina under the covers. Emma was exhausted down to her bones, but she had to take a shower first. She couldn’t get in Regina’s bed with his touch still on her. She had the water running as scalding hot as she could stand, and she scrubbed herself from head to toe more than once. When she slipped and almost fell, she knew it was time to get out. She toweled off, dressed in a simple shirt and shorts, and climbed into bed beside Regina. The woman didn’t stir until Emma pulled her up against her; then she rolled over, snuggled into Emma’s chest and mumbled.

Emma shushed her and kissed the top of her head. “Shhh, we’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~*~*~*~*

Emma was already awake when Regina began to stir late the next morning. She watched as consciousness slowly returned to the brunette who winced and groaned as she moved closer to waking up. Regina was going to have one hell of a hangover. When she tensed, Emma knew she realized she was not alone.

“It’s just me,” Emma offered quietly. “Don’t worry.”

Regina relaxed briefly, then her eyes shot open to look at Emma, but even the low light of the room was too much and she slammed her eyes shut again with a groan. “W-what happened?” she whispered hoarsely, throat rough from crying and drinking.

Emma reached past her to the night stand and grabbed the bottle of water she’d set out. She handed it to Regina and suggested she drink some. “Well, you drank half a bottle of champagne and at least two bottles of wine last night.”

Regina growled against her chest. “Not that.”

Emma knew that’s not what she’d meant, but she’d also been hoping to push it off for just a little while longer.

Regina wrapped a hand in the front of Emma’s shirt. “You’re here,” she said quietly. “I didn’t think you’d be back yet.”

“I came home last night,” Emma admitted.

Bloodshot, red-rimmed eyes looked up at her. “Did you-?”

“I tried,” Emma said, tears spilling over her eyes. “Oh gods, Reg, I think we’re in serious trouble. I think something bad is going to happen, and it’s going to be my fault. But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t…I tried. I didn’t want you to get hurt, but then you were going to be hurt regardless, and I thought if we both get hurt at least we’ll still have each other. And I know that was selfish of me, and I should have just gone through with it-”

Regina had sat up halfway through her word vomit and finally put her hand over Emma’s mouth to stop her. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” She pulled Emma close and kissed her on the forehead. “I don’t care what happens next. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’d kiss you right now if my mouth didn’t feel like raw sewage.”

They both let out watery chuckles at that, and Emma tried wiping away her tears but they kept coming. She noticed Regina was crying too so maybe it was okay. “It was all for revenge, Gina. Facilier, he just wanted to hurt you. But he said, he said President Snow would enact the consequences.” She took a breath, tried to steady herself. “I think it’s going to be bad.”

Regina smoothed Emma’s hair back and wiped away her tears. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

Emma told her everything. It turned out anger and fury were great for burning off a hangover. Regina was pacing the length of the bedroom by the time Emma finished. Emma watched for a few minutes before she quietly asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking if Facilier wants a war with me, he’s got one.” The vein on her forehead pulsed the more she thought about it. Mal would help; she’d wanted a piece of Four for years. She would destroy that puffed up voodoo doctor. He had marked Emma and for that alone she would kill him.

“And what about Snow?”

Regina deflated a bit. President Snow was easily the more dangerous of the two, and she acknowledged that it could be bad. “We’ll just have to weather whatever comes.” His arsenal and bag of tricks was vast. She’d lock up all of her business and financial deals as best she could. She’d leave a few vulnerable that she didn’t mind losing and hope that would be penance enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Emma sat with Ruby in a side room of District 8’s city hall. It had been two weeks since the debacle with Facilier and so far, nothing had happened. She and Regina had both been walking on eggshells waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mal had called them both fools, but then the two older women had shooed Emma out of the room so they could discuss business and how best to eradicate Facilier.

Emma hoped that with the upcoming games, the president would be too preoccupied to worry about insignificant little her. She certainly planned on being as quiet and innocuous as a church mouse to hopefully fly under the radar and show she wasn’t a threat.

Ruby handed her a cup of coffee and they listened as the citizens of Eight were crowding into the waiting area outside. An older victor named Cecelia stood near the windows, watching the children be sorted into age groups. Woof was asleep, lying across three chairs he pulled together. The four of them were the only sane, living victors in District 8. There were a few others, but they weren’t seen often, and most considered them to be unstable. One male victor for their district had walked away from town one day, never to be seen or heard from again. They were gathered together for their annual torture test. It was reaping day for the 70th Annual Hunger Games.

Cecelia came over and sat with Ruby and Emma when the broadcast began. Districts 1 and 2 had to choose between volunteers for their tributes. Ruby shook her head when the camera panned to their large group of victors from previous games. District 3 reaped a fifteen-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl; no one volunteered to take either of their places. As Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman were still joking about the lack of spirit in District 3, the camera switched to District 4.

As always, there was a camera pointed at Finnick for which he smiled then gestured towards the stage. The escort for District 4’s tributes drew out a name for the female tribute. She brought it back to the microphone and read, “Annie Cresta.”

“Oh no,” Cecelia whispered.

“Oh shit,” Ruby said as the camera panned across the District 4 citizens, searching for its newest tribute.

Emma watched Finnick in the background of one of the cameras. His hands were fists at his sides and Killian stood beside him, his hook resting on the younger man’s shoulder. Mags held onto his arm.

“Is this…could this be intentional?” Ruby asked quietly.

Emma blinked at her but Cecelia shrugged. “Could be. Finnick and Annie wanted to get married.” She eyed the two younger women. “Probably not too many people in the Capitol would be very happy about that boy being off the market.”

Emma felt sick to her stomach. “I need some air,” she said and stumbled out the back door which opened to a vacant lot. She wanted to talk to Regina, but she knew the woman would be busy, evaluating the games, taking calls and making deals.

Ruby came out behind her. “What’s up?”

Emma looked over her shoulder at her. She’d told Ruby most of what had happened, not anything between her and Regina but enough that Ruby knew she could be in trouble. “If they’re willing to do that to Finnick…if it’s some kind of message or punishment…”

Ruby nodded in understanding. “Best not to think too much about it.” She threw her arm around Emma’s shoulders and led her back inside. “Besides, Finnick and Killian are both well liked. I’m sure they can get some sponsors to take care of Annie in the games.”

Cecelia overheard her and shook her head. “Not likely.”

Emma frowned. “Why not?”

“If this was a Capitol set-up, a punishment for Finnick,” she shook her head. “Word will be out and the sponsors won’t go near Annie. She won’t get sent so much as a toothpick, and if she makes it past the bloodbath, the gamemakers will find some other way to kill her.”

They fell silent as the District 6 tributes were selected. When District 7’s ceremony began, they were given the standby command. Luckily in their district, they didn’t have to go out on stage, but once their tributes were selected, they should be ready to board the train shortly thereafter. Jefferson, District 8’s latest tribute escort, walked by them on his way to the stage. He nodded in greeting, tipping his rather large top hat to them. Woof muttered something behind them about the way Jefferson was dressed, looking like he’d splashed around in paint then decided to put a top coat over it. Cecelia remarked that she wanted to borrow Jefferson’s scarf. Ruby, who spent more time in the Capitol than anyone else, thought he looked rather subdued for Capitol fashions. Emma appreciated their commentary for the distraction it provided.

Soon enough they heard Jefferson’s booming voice announce a female tribute’s name. The four of them looked at each other but no one was familiar with the girl. Then Jefferson announced the boy’s name – Henry D. Smith.

Emma cried out and Ruby barely caught her when her knees buckled.

“Now isn’t that the same boy that was reaped a few years ago?” Caesar Flickerman’s voice echoed out from the broadcast.

“Yes, yes, I think you’re right,” Claudius nodded next to him. “And Emma Swan volunteered to take his place.”

“Well. No one seems to be volunteering for him today,” Caesar laughed. “Bad luck for him, having his name drawn _twice_ for the reaping.”

“Perhaps, he’ll do as well as the Savior. No one expected her to win either.”

“That’s true,” Caesar said, “but moving on to District 9. Let’s see what they’ve got this year.”

Emma didn’t hear anything else after that. All she could hear was Regina’s voice of warning in her head.

_“He’ll go after the people you care about.”_


	13. Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little concerned about losing power with all this sleet we're getting. Don't want to leave y'all hanging so here's the next to last.

For the first time in many years, Regina hadn’t paid any attention to the Reaping. The broadcast had been on, as required for every citizen, but it had been playing quietly in the background as she’d been busy putting out fires all morning. It seemed as though her punishment from the president had come to pass. At least half of her financial assets were under attack. The stables at her ranch in District 10 had caught fire during the early morning hours. During an unannounced board member meeting, she’d been removed from the board at one of her tech companies in Three, and her mining permits in Two had suddenly been revoked due to unsafe practices. Her assets in Two and Three had been properties she’d practically offered up as sacrificial lambs, but the sabotage to her stables had been a low blow. She was still receiving reporting but at least half of the horses were either dead or injured.

With her mining permit revoked, she would lose any standing she had in Two. She still had another two companies in Three that she owned, but even combined they were worth less than the one she lost. However, they did seem stable at the moment and she hoped that would be enough. She would hate to lose all of her interests in Three; it was easily the most lucrative of her profits. At least nothing had happened in Seven.

“Regina?” Emma’s voice sounded through the house. “You home?”

Regina frowned and glanced at the clock. The Reaping was long over, but she never saw Emma on Reaping day. As a victor and mentor, Emma was usually busy with her tributes from Reaping day until the games began.

“Regina!”

The door to her office flung open and Regina stood from behind her desk as Emma barreled inside. If the desperation on Emma’s face was any indication, Regina knew she was not the only one that had been punished that day. “What happened?”

“Henry! They took Henry!”

Regina caught Emma by the forearms, steadying her as she tried to catch up. She’d seen her father less than two hours ago. He’d brought her fresh coffee, highly suggesting she take a break. And while she knew Emma cared for him, she didn’t think it would bring her to this level of distress.

“They fucking reaped Henry for the games, and it’s all my fault!” Emma sank onto the couch, her legs giving out, and Regina sat down with her.

Oh _. That_ Henry. Emma’s Henry. The orphan boy she’d saved; the child she’d practically adopted as a little brother after she’d won her Games.

Emma ripped her hands away from Regina and bent double over her knees, burying her face. “I should’ve just slept with Facilier. I should’ve just let him fuck me six ways to Sunday.” She looked up, tears staining her face. “Do you think it’s too late?”

Regina blinked. “Too late?”

Emma hastily wiped at her face. “If I go to Facilier now, if I let him…do you think it would help?”

“Emma, no.” Regina shook her head. Assuming Emma had ridden on the tribute train with Henry, he was already here in the Capitol. And as soon as no one volunteered for the boy, there was really no way to unring that bell. “That wouldn’t help.”

“Fuck!” She’d known that, of course, she’d known that, but she’d promised Henry she would do everything she could for him. “But you can help him, can’t you? I mean, once he’s in the games.” She wiped at her face again. “You can sponsor him.”

Regina hesitated as another notification for a message came in on her phone. She’d heard at least five since Emma had walked in the room. She really needed to check those messages; she couldn’t afford to lose another district. She stood to grab her phone; Emma caught her by the wrist.

“Regina?” Watery green eyes implored her. “You’ll save him, right?”

Her phone pinged again; Regina shook her head. “I can’t.” She caught a glimpse of her broadcast screen showing images of a raging fire in District 7. “Shit.” She grabbed for her phone, forgetting about Emma as she read through several messages of a fire raging across her lumber mill in Seven. She sank into her chair behind the desk, pulling up the news and her interest sheets. She’d now been hit in four places; she’d seen financial destruction like this before. Hell, she’d orchestrated it before on people like Albert Spencer. This was systematic; this was brutal. Three hits she could easily rebound from; four would be more difficult.

“Regina?”

She watched the private videos she was being sent of the destruction at the lumber mill. It wasn’t so much that the lands and trees were burning, but all of the milled lumber and her equipment were on fire. She would have to replace everything and have absolutely zero profits for this quarter, but the future milling had been spared. Probably so she’d be encouraged to sell the mill to someone else, but fuck that, she would rebuild it before she’d sell it off to anyone.

“Regina!”

“What?” she snapped, dragged away from her imploding business to find Emma standing over her desk.

“What the fuck is going on?” Emma demanded. “I ask you to save Henry and you say you can’t.”

Oh, right. She had said that and she’d meant it, but Emma deserved to know why. Her phone pinged again and she didn’t even want to look at it. “Emma, I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Make time!” Emma slammed her hands down on Regina’s desk. “I need your help, Regina.”

“And I need five fucking minutes, Emma!” She snapped. “You are not the only one facing the consequences of your actions right now. My entire life is imploding!” She gestured angrily towards the broadcast screen. “Everything I have worked to build is literally going up in flames. And if Henry has been reaped as a punishment to you, he’s already dead. Make your peace with that.”

Emma stumbled back from the desk. The words cutting into her as if they were knives aimed straight for her heart, intent on cutting it out in several small pieces. “ _My_ actions?”

Regina immediately regretted half of the things she’d said. “Emma, I-” Her phone pinged again. She glanced down at it. When she looked up, she saw Emma’s blonde curls disappearing out the door. “Damn it.”

Several hours later, Henry Sr. found Regina lying on her couch in the office with the lights turned off. He eased inside and turned on one of the lamps. He pulled out a bottle of her cider and poured two glasses. When he set one down on the coffee table near her, she peaked open one eye. He patted her shoulder as he took a seat in the chair opposite. “Should I start packing our bags tomorrow?”

Regina twisted a little so she could look at him then grudgingly sat up. She picked up the glass and took a deep drink as she sat back. “That won’t be necessary.”

He hummed and nodded. “How bad is it?”

She dropped her head back on the couch. “Gold mine is gone, our number one tech company is gone, the lumber mill is completely destroyed.”

“And the horses?” he asked gently.

“We lost seven; however; the rest are all minor injuries and the structure wasn’t completely destroyed, so not as bad as first estimates.” Earlier estimates had suggested she’d lose at least twenty. “And our forest land in Seven was undamaged so future prospects still look good.”

“And Ms Swan?”

Regina lifted her head and looked at her father. She saw no recrimination in his gaze just a sad understanding. She sighed, “I don’t know.”

“I watched the reaping,” he said. “The announcers suggested she knows the boy.”

Regina nodded. “He’s like a little brother to her. She’s his only family that I know of.”

“And there’s nothing you can do?” he asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “Even if I tried to sponsor him, the gamemakers would never let it go through. If the fix is in, the best we could try for is to make sure he has a quick death.”

He nodded having known most of that himself. “Does Ms Swan know that?”

“I told her I can’t help him.” She pinched her nose. “It wasn’t what she wanted to hear.”

“Yes, dear, but does she know _why_ you can’t help him?”

Regina frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a big difference between can’t and won’t, my dear.” He stood, stretching his back before picking up his empty glass. “If she believes you _can_ but _won’t_ help, that may be unforgiveable in her eyes.” He took her glass and held her hand for a moment. “Be sure she knows. Tell her before it’s too late.”

Regina nodded. “Good night, Daddy.”

“Good night, my dear.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Regina sat next to Mal at a ridiculously overpriced bar, hosting only the most prestigious of citizens for the premiere of the 70th Annual Hunger Games. Broadcast screens were present in every direction as the countdown at the Cornucopia began. As the camera passed by Henry, standing on his pedestal, Regina drained her glass.

“And you made the necessary arrangements?” she asked.

Mal gave her a very dry side-eye. “Not that I enjoy being dragged into this problem, but yes, I made a deal with Seneca.” She lit a cigarillo. “Henry won’t suffer.”

Regina frowned. “Seneca Crane? He’s one of the team leads now?”

Mal exhaled a plume of purplish smoke. “He’s up and coming, probably be head gamemaker in a few years.”

“Do I want to know what the deal was?”

“If he takes care of Henry for me, I’ll allow him to date Lily.”

Regina scoffed and indicated she needed a refill. “Thanks Mal.”

The Dragon waved her off. “The deal is only necessary if Henry makes it past the bloodbath.” She eyed Regina. “And the odds of that are very low.”

“I know.” Regina admitted.

Henry had only been given a score of four for his skills; writing well wasn’t something that translated into the arena. He had been given a decent amount of camera time since he had a story, being rescued once by Emma only to be reaped a second time. If his death hadn’t already been assured in certain circles, he may have been able to garner a few sponsors.

“How’s Emma?” Mal asked. “Have you seen her?”

Regina shook her head. “No, but I know she’s not doing well.”

“I heard she’s talked to pretty much every sponsor in the Capitol.”

“She had to try,” Regina said.

“She should have tried more quietly,” Mal commented. “I’m surprised sponsors even agreed to meet with her.”

Regina looked at Mal. They both knew some sponsors hadn’t agreed; some sponsors had been ambushed by Emma in public places. More than one person had been overheard griping about it.

The crowd in the bar joined the countdown as it reached single digits. 5…4…3…2…1…

The crowd cheered as the tributes scattered in all directions from their pedestals. Mal watched a screen off to her left so she could also keep an eye on Regina at the same time. She noted that fewer tributes than usual had stayed by the cornucopia. She wondered if mentors were finally telling their tributes that it simply wasn’t worth it. Not unless they had serious skill. It was referred to as a bloodbath for a reason, and yet every year the young tried their luck.

Regina gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. Mal’s gaze flicked to the screen in time to see the tribute from District 1 pull his blade from Henry’s chest. The boy from District 8, the Savior’s loved one, dropped to his knees and fell over. Mal drained her glass; it was done.

“I should go home,” Regina said quietly.

Mal arched an eyebrow. “I thought you came out tonight so you could recoup some of your recent losses.”

“I should be at the mansion when Emma gets there,” she said, gathering up her purse.

“You really think she’s going to come to your house tonight when she hasn’t talked to you in two weeks?” Mal asked. Honestly, she thought they were both to blame for the shitshow they’d brought down on themselves. She just hoped they learned from it.

“I don’t know,” Regina admitted, “but I want to be there if she needs me.”

Regina slid into the back of the car service for her ride home. The broadcast was showing on a small projector in the car. The bloodbath was over and the careers controlled the cornucopia, no surprise there. The camera was currently following Annie Cresta and the boy tribute from District 4 as they made their way through a bit of forest.

Regina had heard that Finnick made a deal with President Snow and the gamemakers. They couldn’t pull Annie out of the games for obvious reasons, but they wouldn’t purposefully kill her either. In return, Finnick had agreed to remain single and available in the Capitol until he was twenty-five.

“Oh damn!” the driver muttered and Regina looked at the screen in time to see Annie Cresta, covered in blood spatter, begin screaming. The camera panned to the boy tribute from District 4 lying beheaded at Annie’s feet. Regina turned off the projection.

The rest of the car ride home was silent, and Regina thanked the driver when she stepped out at her home and closed the door behind her. The car pulled away as she walked up the driveway only noticing when she reached the foot of the steps that the front door was standing open.

Regina hesitated, thinking it was unlikely that Emma had gotten there ahead of her. And even if she did, the blonde wasn’t usually so careless as to leave the door open. Not to mention, her father hadn’t mentioned that he was going out.

Stopping at the threshold, Regina pushed the door open the rest of the way. “Daddy?”

There were no lights turned on in the hall. The only light she could see was spilling from the front study as though a lamp had been left on. Like a moth to a flame, Regina stepped inside the house and moved towards the light; a tight ball of fear and tension grew in her chest with every step.

By the time she edged around the door frame, she was barely breathing, but she saw him. She saw the top of her father’s head as he was sitting in his favorite chair, facing away from the door. Probably just fell asleep, she tried to tell herself. She managed a breath, took a step inside the room, and saw the first drop of something dark on the white carpeted floor.

A part of her knew then that it was over. The quick, savvy business mind that picked up on details and made conclusions knew exactly what had taken place. The other part of her, the part that made her call his name again even as her feet moved her forward, that part refused to accept the truth until it could not be unseen. That part, the part of her that loved and allowed love, cried out and shattered at the sight of her loving father, sitting in his favorite chair, with his chest covered in blood.

And a note pinned to his shirt.

_Take control of your Victor or we will._


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you don't hate me for leaving it here.  
> I do have plans for a third book in this series, but I haven't started it yet.  
> It'll come though and I hope to see you then.

**Four Years Later**

Lily exhaled a plume of smoke and toyed with the half-empty glass in front of her. She and Emma sat together in a corner booth in their favorite bar in the Capitol. The broadcast of the day’s Reaping event played on repeat from the many projectors all around the bar.

“You staying at the Tribute Center tonight?”

Emma looked up from the cherry stem she’d been twisting into a knot. “Nah,” she said. “Ruby’s watching over the kids tonight.”

“I saw your boy for this year; he’s a tall fucker.”

Emma chuckled, “Yeah, I think him and that Career from 1 are the tallest.”

They glanced at the projection showing the District 2 Careers, raising their arms and saluting the cheering crowd of their district.

“There’s this year’s winner; I’d bet money on it,” Lily said, pointing at the boy. “Look at that kid. He’s probably been training for this his whole life.”

Emma grimaced. Lily was probably right but that didn’t mean she wanted to think about it. She didn’t hold out much hope for her district’s girl tribute but the boy might do all right.

“Did you hear about Johanna’s older sister?” Lily asked, refilling her drink from the bottle on the table.

“Yeah,” Emma said. “I saw Johanna briefly at the Tribute Center when we got in. She looks like she hasn't slept in a week; I’m surprised they let her anywhere near the Capitol at this point.”

“She’s the only female Victor left for her district; she has to be the mentor.” Lily shrugged. “Plus, it’s pretty much just more punishment.”

“I think her sister was her last remaining relative still alive,” Emma said. “What more can they do to her?”

“I wouldn’t tempt fate with that question,” Lily said, “but I’ll give her credit. Johanna didn’t play Snow’s games.”

“And now her whole family is dead,” Emma said. “Not exactly a win.”

“What? Like you and I are just rolling in success?” Lily rolled her eyes. “Johanna has paid the consequences but damn if I can’t respect her just a bit.”

Emma nodded silently as the tributes for District 5 were selected. She did respect Johanna’s choices, but Emma had been hit hard by Henry’s death. By the death of both Henrys. She hadn’t been willing to risk losing anyone else. The next time President Snow had requested her presence for someone he wanted to reward; she’d gone through with it. And every time since.

Lily watched the blonde as she sank a little further into her seat. Her gaze fixed on the projection but not really watching it. Lily stayed quiet for a moment, watching the tributes for her district get reaped. Jason something and…damn, she’d already forgotten the girl’s name.

“You staying at Regina’s tonight?”

Emma looked up and then nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“That’s good.” Lily nodded. “I’m glad to see the two of you getting back together finally.”

“We were both grieving; we said a lot of horrible things to each other.” Emma shrugged. “We had to work through that. It’s taken some time, but I think we both want what we had. We’re trying to get back to that.”

“You’ll get there,” Lily said. She wasn’t the most optimistic person but she had hopes for the couple. They were good for each other.

Emma watched as the projection switched to the reaping at her district. She watched as Jefferson called out first the girl and then the boy. She’d spent several train rides with Jefferson over the years. He was wildly eccentric but she actually liked him.

When the projection switched to District 9, Emma slid her glass over for Lily to refill. “The next two weeks will be rough. The Games are always an unpleasant anniversary reminder now for both of us.”

“As if the games weren’t bad enough already,” Lily growled. “Talk about living the life of the damned.” She lit another cigarette. “I swear, sometimes I think I would’ve been better off if I’d just gotten killed in the games.”

Emma eyed her warily. They both knew what the other thought about their so-called lives and freedoms after the games, but it wasn’t something they talked about when out in public. Although, she had noticed Lily had become more disgruntled and vocal about it since she’d started hanging out with Johanna. “Mal wouldn’t be better off. I don’t think she would’ve survived it if you’d been killed in your games.”

“Maybe,” Lily mused, “but having me at all made her weak. She wasn’t controlled by the Capitol until I came along.” She picked up her glass, pointing with the hand holding it. “And conversely, they were never able to control me until I had her.” She took a deep drink. “Now I go on dates and fuck people I have absolutely zero interest in. I was better off when I was alone.”

Emma winced. While there was plenty of truth to that statement, she also knew Lily was happier in her life than she’d ever been. She had a mother that loved her, a best friend in Regina, and Emma had practically become her little sister. It defied logic that actually having people she loved and that loved her back made her life worse, and yet, that was the world they lived in. A world where that could be used against them.

“It’s fucked up,” Emma agreed quietly as the girl from District 11 was reaped. Gods above she was tiny. And young. She couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen.

“Don’t listen to me,” Lily waved her off. She pushed her empty glass away. “I’ve had too much to drink. I shouldn’t be talking like that.”

“Don’t worry,” Emma said, trying to lighten the mood, “I never pay attention to anything you say.”

“Bitch.” Lily flipped her off. Then she gestured at the projection. “Did you see this? Twelve actually had a volunteer for like the first time ever.”

“Really?” Emma watched the screen as the Peacemakers escorted the older looking girl towards the stage; she looked like she was in shock. Emma knew how that walk felt. She watched as the tribute escort, a woman with pink hair, stood on stage, beckoning for the tribute to join her. As soon as the volunteer was pulled on stage the escort asked for her name.

Emma sipped her drink as she watched. “Too bad volunteering won’t change anything.”

The girl from District 12 gave her name. “Katniss Everdeen.”


End file.
